If you're Irish
by Emma-face
Summary: Gina and Kieran ae getting married. Enter Kieran's niece and nephew from Ireland in town for the wedding. How will they get on with the skins gang? Add skins, weddings, parties, alcohol, surprises and new love interests and you get this. Naomily, Effy/OC
1. You're in my room

**A/N: **Alright this is something I wrote after an idea was implanted in my head by a friend when we got slightly drunk and had a skins marathon. It follows the skins gang in the lead up to Gina and Kieran's wedding and centres around the addition of 2 new characters as well as all the favourites from season 3! Expect the usual antics that you would expect from the skins gang and then some.

Hope you give it a chance and read it because it's like my pet project. Oh and of course let me know what you think by pressing that magic green button! =]

emma.

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'_It's been a long fucking day.'_ Naomi thought as she opened the front door. She looked around for any sign of her mother, desperately trying to avoid her for fear of being sucked into another discussion about seating charts or something equally annoying. With the wedding less than a week away her mother had gone into overdrive making sure everything was just perfect and stress levels in the house had skyrocketed. This tension was not made any easier by the fact that Emily had gone with her family to visit her grandparents for a few days, leaving Naomi to miss her and making her even more irritable. She just wanted to get up to her room and have some alone time. Her hopes were quickly dashed when she opened her bedroom door to find a strange girl sitting cross legged in the middle of her floor going through her CDs.

"Who the fuck are you?" She half sighed. She thought the days of finding strangers in her room were over. The girl was around Naomi's age, perhaps a bit older, with wavy red hair and pale skin. She looked up at Naomi with bright blue eyes and no shame in her expression.

"Charming." She said flatly. "I can see why you English are renowned for your hospitality." She said sarcastically. Her voice was husky and she had an accent like Kieran's, though not nearly as harsh.

"I'm sorry but you're _in my room_." Naomi replied indignantly. "Mum!" She yelled angrily.

"What?" Gina's voice sounded from down the hall. "What is it?" She asked, poking her head through the door looking rather flustered. "Hello love." She smiled at the girl.

"Hi Gina." She smiled back, pissing Noami off even more.

"Uh...there's a girl in my room!" Naomi raised her voice as though her problem should have been obvious.

"Yes she'll be staying here for a few days." Gina said brightly.

"I thought you were done with the whole communal living crap?" Naomi huffed.

"I am." Gina answered flatly. "This is Kieran's niece. From Ireland. She's here for the wedding."

"Yes but why is she in my room?" Naomi pressed.

"Because she's sleeping here."

"What? Why? Why can't she stay in the spare room?"

"Because her brother's sleeping there."

"And I'd sooner sleep outside than share a room with him." The girl interrupted.

"Honestly Naomi we told you about this weeks ago." Gina said sounding both impatient and disappointed in a way only a mother can. Naomi sighed. "It's only for a week, love, and it's important to Kieran which means it's important to me, please don't make a fuss?"

"Fine!" Naomi conceded; it wasn't like she had a choice really.

"Thank you!" Gina smiled lovingly at her and gave her a hug. "I think you'll get on quite well actually. You have a lot in common." She said as she disappeared out the door. Naomi was confused. She looked from the door to the girl and back again.

"What did she mean by that?" She demanded.

"She means I'm gay." She answered without even looking up from her bag. "I'll teach you the handshake later." She stood up and gave a forced smile. "Do you smoke?"

"Uh...yeah. Out the back. I'll show you." She said feeling a little dazed from the conversation. She led the way downstairs and out into the back garden.

"Here try one of these; they're much better than that shite you're smoking." She said pushing her Marlboro lights and a lighter across the table to her. "I'm Sadie, by the way."

Naomi looked from her to the cigarette, unsure whether she should be offended or not. Shrugging she decided to give the girl a chance.

"Naomi." She said, taking one of her cigarettes.

"I know." Sadie said cheekily. "I know a lot about you actually." She threw her legs up on the table; she was actually quite a tiny person.

"Oh do you now." Naomi rolled her eyes, still trying to figure Sadie out.

"You're one of those political rights activists, right? You actually give a shit about stuff, yeah?" Her blue eyes locked on Naomi's as she spoke.

"Yeah, sort of." Naomi shrugged. There was something disarming about Sadie. Naomi just couldn't bring herself to be horrible or defensive around her.

"I think you'll change the world." She said thoughtfully, without a single mocking tone in her voice. Naomi was taken aback by the honesty in her voice.

"Look, Kieran's gone into town to get me an airbed and I'm pretty sure I don't snore or anything. And you can always tell me to fuck off for a bit if you want some alone time with your girlfriend. So maybe it won't be so bad? It's only for a week anyway." Sadie shrugged. Naomi thought about it for a minute, staring at Sadie appraisingly. There was something about her that intrigued Naomi.

"Emily's gone away for a few days actually, so you don't have to worry about that." She said eventually, her tone friendlier than before. Sadie smiled.

"So that's why you're in such a mood then?" Naomi's jaw dropped indignantly. She was going to deny it but realised there was no point.

"Maybe." She bit her lower lip to hide a smirk.

"She'll be back for the wedding though won't she? Cause I was sort of looking forward to meeting her."

"Oh yeah she'll be back for the wedding. I think my mum would kill her if she missed it." Naomi chuckled.

"Yeah, your mum seems to really like her. That's great. Makes life a whole lot easier." Naomi nodded remembering her experience with Emily's family. "Your mum is really nice. We had a good talk earlier."

"She's a bit mad." Naomi said.

"Well she would need to be if she's marrying our Kieran." Sadie chuckled.

"He's not so bad." Naomi shrugged. He was her favourite teacher after all.

"Speaks very highly of you too." Sadie added, stubbing out her cigarette. "So what do you think Naomi, can we be friends?"

Naomi brow furrowed in thought. "I suppose." She sighed. Sadie rolled her eyes and stubbed out her cigarette.

"Well Naomi, now we're friends why don't we have some fun?" She asked with a devilish glint in her eye.

"What did you have in mind?" Naomi asked curiously.


	2. We're having a party

"That sounds like a great idea!" Gina said excitedly, smiling at the two girls sitting across the table from her.

"See I knew you would say that." Sadie winked at her cheekily. "And you don't have to worry about a thing; I will take care of it all. You have enough to worry about with the wedding."

"Are you sure?" Gina asked, seeming genuinely surprised that someone was offering to organise something for her.

"Of course." Sadie said with a smile. "You must be stressed out planning everything. Why don't you get yourself upstairs and have a nice relaxing bath and leave us to sort everything out." Sadie said, almost picking her up out of her seat and leading her to the door.

"Oh that sounds lovely." Gina smiled, skipping out the door high on flattery. Sadie closed the door behind her and turned to face Naomi.

"What was that you were saying about her not going for it?" She smiled smugly.

"How did you do that?" Naomi asked, slightly stunned. She had just watched Sadie convince her highly stressed mother to have a pre-wedding/welcome to Bristol party, in her house, tonight without so much as breaking a sweat.

"It's a gift!" Sadie shrugged. "Now where do you keep the alcohol?"

The alcohol cupboard was, in Naomi's opinion, quite well stocked. Sadie, however, didn't seem to agree. Naomi watched as she plundered through its contents; a bottle of vodka, a half drunk bottle of whiskey, a few bottles of wine, a questionable bottle of gin and the token bottle of Bailey's that every Irishman is given as a Christmas present. Sadie shook her head.

"This won't do at all. We need to go shopping." She said decidedly, standing up again.

Not long after the two girls burst through the door of the nearest off sales. A middle aged man standing behind the counter eyed them suspiciously and watched their every move as they browsed.

"Alright Naomi, what's your poison?" Sadie gestured to the wide selection in the shop.

"I don't know." Naomi shrugged. She couldn't think of one alcoholic drink that she actually enjoyed the taste of. All beers tasted the same to her, all spirits burned on the way down and a cocktail in Uncle Keith's pub was a vodka and coke, she usually just drank whatever was handed to her and waited for it to kick in. "Anything really, I suppose." She could tell by the look on Sadie's face that was the wrong answer.

"It's not your fault really; you're just the product of the British drinking mentality." Sadie sighed. "Alcohol is something that can be enjoyed as it gets you blind drunk. Stick with me kid, I'll show you a trick or too." She threw her arm around Naomi's shoulder. Naomi chuckled she was liking this girl more by the minute.

"Right let's get down to business then...I'm not one for cans of beer but my brother is so let's get him a 12 pack of...you don't have Harp over here so, yes Carling will do...get a case of Bud and a few Corona as well. Do you like Coors light? Get a 6pk of that too. That should be enough beer." Sadie said straining to set the case up on the counter.

"Do you like wine?"

"I guess." Naomi didn't know what to say.

"What kind?"

"Um...white?" She bit her lower lip nervously, feeling like she was sitting an exam. Sadie sighed.

"There was wine in the house but it's better to be safe than sorry." She said picking up a bottle of red, white and rosé wine and setting them on the counter beside the beer. The surly middle aged man glared at her.

"I hope you have I.D with you." He tried to sound threatening. It made Naomi nervous but Sadie just sighed heavily.

"I'm sure when I'm in my forties I'll be flattered when I'm asked for ID but right now it's just a pain in the ass." She said to Naomi, pulling her wallet out of her back pocket and handing the man her licence. "Could you do me a favour and grab some juice out of that fridge?" She asked while the owner scrutinised her licence.

"Sure. What do you need?"

"Maybe 4 orange, 3 cranberry, 2 pineapple and an apple for good measure." The owner sighed, unable to find fault with her ID he began scanning everything.

"Could I also have a bottle of Absolut Raspberri, a bottle of peach schnapps, a bottle of triple sec, half bottle of Malibu and...A half bottle of Bacardi as well please?" The guy did not look pleased as he reached for the requested items.

"Shit." Sadie looked at the mountain of drink before her. Naomi half-expected her to put some of it back. "We're going to need reinforcements." Naomi couldn't help but chuckled slightly as Sadie took her phone from her pocket and dialled.

"Alright, pisshead!" She greeted the person on the other line. "Where the bloody hell are you?"

"Don't take that tone with me, there in no way in Christ's name it takes this long to buy a fucking airbed. Look put Kieran on I need to ask him something."

"Hello Uncle Kieran." Her tone was sickly sweet. "Yes I know...I'm sure you have been agonising over finding the best airbed for me, no doubt you've been mulling it over in the pub too." She laughed. "Look I need you to pick me and Naomi up from...where are we?" She asked Naomi.

"Maguire's off sales." Naomi informed her, finding the whole exchange endlessly entertaining.

"Maguire's off sales...yes I know it's only round the corner from the house...look you'll see when you get here, just get here!" She said, hanging up before he could argue. The shop keeper returned Sadie's debit card to her and nodded towards the door making it very clear he wanted them to leave.

"Well you're just lovely." Sadie said sarcastically, lifting one of the cases off the counter and carrying it outside.

"Is everyone in Bristol this pleasant?" Sadie asked, lighting up a cigarette when they finally got all the bags outside.

"Fraid so!" Naomi sighed, stealing the cigarette from Sadie's hand and taking a draw.

"Oi, cheeky!" Sadie muttered and scowled, taking it back. The girls laughed. The rattle of a loose exhaust filled the air and Kieran's car rounded the corner. He pulled up in front of them and stepped out, leaning on the roof he shook his head.

"I take it she's been talking to your mother?" He said to Naomi, who nodded with a smirk.

"Don't ever let anyone tell you you're not talented, kid!" He laughed.

"I know." Sadie smirked and tossed the butt of her cigarette. "Come on then big bro," Sadie banged the window at her brother. "Meet Kieran's future step daughter. And help me with this heavy lifting while you're at it." She said, pulling the door open. A red headed man, in his twenties with tattooed biceps stepped out of the car. He wasn't much taller than Naomi but he was well built. He reminded her of Cook a little bit.

"What's all this for anyway?" He asked, lifting one of the cases into the boot of the car.

"We're having a party." Sadie smiled. There was something mischievous about her smile and her voice carried an air of promise with it. Naomi could tell this party was going to be something special.

"By the way, this is Naomi." She said throwing her arm around her. "Naomi, this pisshead is my big brother Diarmuid but we just call him Derm-Derm." He held out his hand to shake hers.

"It's nice to finally meet you." His Northern Irish accent was thick like Kieran's.

"You too." Naomi returned the handshake.

"Right let's get goin' then shall we?" Kieran said loading the last bag into the car. "No doubt Sadie has something spectacular planned for tonight that she'll want to be setting up." He said throwing his arm around his niece.

"You're right." She smiled, not giving anything away.

"Um...Kieran." Naomi said as they all piled into the car. "Are you sure your car will actually drive with all this extra weight in it?" She asked, biting her lip to stop herself laughing.

"Ah, no!" He said, turning the key in the ignition. "But there's only one way to find out."

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**A/N: **Well how am I doing so far? Like the new characters? Hate them? Sharing is caring so press that button =]


	3. Say hello from me

"We've been invaded by the Irish." Naomi said. She was lying on her bed making the most of the fact that she was alone by phoning Emily.

"**What?" **Emily giggled on the other line.

"Kieran's niece and nephew from Belfast are staying with us until after the wedding." She explained. "So I have to share my room."

"**Welcome to my world." **Emily scoffed. A week was nothing; she'd been sharing a room with someone her whole life. **"Well what are they like? Are they nice? How old are they?" **

"Yeah they're nice. Sadie's 20 and I think Dermot is 24. So far it hasn't been too bad. She even convinced my mum to have a party tonight."

"**How'd she manage that? When I left Gina was wound tighter than a spring!"**

"I don't know but she made it look easy." Naomi laughed. "And she spent almost £100 in the off sales."

"**Wow!"**

"Yeah, like it was nothing." Naomi still couldn't believe it. "I wish you were gonna be here." She whined, toying with the corner of her pillowcase.

"**Me too. I miss you." **Emily sighed.

"I miss you too." Naomi bit he bottom lip and took a deep breath. "How's the trip going anyway?" She asked, changing the subject before she got too emotional.

"**It's alright. My family are annoying the tits off me but nothing new there." **She giggled.

"When will you be back?" Naomi asked, looking up as her bedroom door opened and Sadie walked in wearing a towel. _'Sorry!' _She mouthed and turned to leave. Naomi shook her head and motioned for her to stay.

"**Thursday...but with the way my Dad drives it'll probably be late." **

"That's ages away." Naomi complained.

"Is that Emily?" Sadie asked, pulling a pair of black leggings on under her towel.

"**I know!"**

"Yeah." Naomi said.

"**What? Who are you talking to?" **

"Sadie just walked in." Naomi informed her.

"Tell her I said hi. It's a shame she won't make it to the party!"

"She says hi." Naomi told Emily.

"**Hello." **Emily said to Naomi, shaking her head at how confusing this was getting.

"It's on the table over there."

"**What's on the table?" **Emily asked.

"I was talking to Sadie." Naomi shook her head. "This is too confusing."

"Sorry."

"**Sorry." **They both said at once. **"I have to go now anyway. My Nan has made dinner. It's great not a single obscure soup in sight." **She chuckled.

"Alright sweetie. I'll see you Thursday then?"

"**Yes. Enjoy the party tonight. Tell everyone I said hello." **

"I will."

"**I love you."**

"I love you too. Bye." Naomi said hanging up the phone.

"Aw cute." Sadie cooed from behind her. Naomi turned a soft shade of pink and looked over her shoulder to glare at her.

Sadie was standing in the mirror brushing her hair. She had shed the towel and was now wearing nothing but black leggings, a black lacy bra and a smile. Naomi couldn't help but notice that almost her entire torso was covered in tattoos; some in colour, some black and grey they really were quite impressive.

"Derm's work...you like it?" She asked noticing Naomi was staring at the chain of flowers that ran along her ribs from her bra strap to below her trousers. Naomi nodded a bit embarrassed she'd been caught staring at the other girl.

"It's amazing." Naomi examined the intricate detail in the small hummingbirds that were drinking from the flowers on her ribs. "Did it hurt?" She knew it was such a clichéd question; it was a picture drawn on skin by a needle, of course it hurt.

"Like a bitch, but when it's done you tend to forget how sore it was. That's how you end up with so many. It's a lot like child birth." She said with a laugh. "Anyway sorry for interrupting your phone call."

"It's alright, Ems had to go anyway." Naomi shrugged, finally taking her eyes off Sadie's tattoos.

"You going to get ready then or what?" Sadie asked. "The party starts soon." She smiled.

"Oh yeah."

"I'd run now while the bathroom's free! My brother may look like a typical Irish man but I swear to God he takes longer than me to get ready." She joked. Naomi took her advice and headed towards the bathroom.

"Hey, did you invite your friends to this thing tonight?" Sadie called after her.

"Yes." Naomi answered. Sadie heard the bathroom door close, the shower start and a groan from Diarmuid when he realised he'd been beaten to the punch, laughing to herself she turned on the hair dryer and started getting ready. _'Yeah.' _She thought to herself. _'This is going to be a good night.'_


	4. What the big deal about Britney?

The sound of Britney Spears singing Toy Solider filled her ears as Naomi made her way downstairs. The living room door was closed but the music poured out through it indicating the party was getting underway.

"Oh Jesus!" A low Northern Irish accent came from behind her. She turned in the hallway to see Derm making his way down. Naomi looked at him curiously. "She's been listening to Britney." He shook his head but couldn't help but laugh slightly.

"So?" Naomi asked, what was the big deal about Britney?

"You'll see what I mean. Listen if we go in there and she's wearing a hat, don't expect to going to bed at any time tonight...or tomorrow morning." He smiled at her reassuringly and opened the door. He felt the girl unfortunate enough to be sharing a room with his sister deserved that small warning. He knew what she was like and while he loved the up for anything party side to her, he wasn't so sure Naomi or Gina would.

Walking in through the door Naomi barely recognised her own living room. Sadie had moved all the furniture around, removing the valuable objects Naomi noted, and brought in extra chairs from the kitchen. She had plugged the stereo speakers into her laptop, which was where all the noise was coming from, but it was the back wall that surprised he the most. She had moved the kitchen table into the living room and set it up like a bar complete with glasses, ice and straws as well as all the spirits she had bought earlier. It was still early so there was only Gina, Kieran, her mum's best friend Bonnie and Mr and Mrs Next door from next door, Naomi had never bothered to learn their names but her mother thought it prudent to invite them so they wouldn't make a noise compliant.

"This one is for you Gina." Sadie winked. She was wearing black leggings and what could only be described as a long vest over them. It was white with a black design on it involving a skull motif. It was very Effy Naomi thought. She was, as it turned out, also wearing a black trilby hat. Naomi was intrigued about what Dermot had told her previously.

Behind her makeshift bar Sadie filled a silver cocktail shaker with ice, then free poured raspberry vodka, Malibu into it and filled it up with pineapple juice. Flashing a cheesy grin at Gina she picked up the shaker and shook it. Already she was commanding the attention of the room but none of them were prepared for what was about to happen. Without warning she threw the cocktail shaker into the air and winked. She caught the thing behind her back as Mrs Next Door's jaw dropped and Gina gave an audible gasp. Naomi was enthralled by the whole thing and it didn't go unnoticed by Dermot.

"Did Sadie not mention she's a bar tender?" He chuckled. Naomi didn't so much as look at him as Sadie now held the shaker in one hand, still jiggling it slightly, while with her free hand she poured ice into a glass. She poured up the drink and decorated the glass with two straws and a wedge of pineapple.

"Welcome to the family." She smiled as she served Gina the drink. There was actually a round of applause in the room when she finished. Her cheeks blushed red as she laughed it off.

"Just don't expect this kind of showmanship all night." She shrugged.

"This is delicious!" Gina exclaimed, insisting Bonnie have a taste.

"I've never tasted anything like this!" Bonnie gasped.

"Well thank you, it's my own creation." Sadie smiled and returned to the safety of her little bar. "Who's next?" She asked expectantly.

"Well I'd like a drink but I'm not sure that's my kinda thing." Kieran wrinkled his nose. Sadie rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, as if I'd forget my favourite Uncle's drinking preferences. Beer?" Kieran nodded. Sadie reached into a cooler under the table and produced a bottle of Budweiser. She flicked something from a holder on her waist and popped the cap off the beer and replaced it in one fluid motion.

"She's good!" Naomi muttered to Derm.

"Yeah, youngest bar manager in Northern Ireland." He informed her. "She knows how to work a room." He rolled his eyes.

"I didn't forget about you either big bro!" She sang, talking to him like a child. She reached under the table and handed him a can of Carling. "You'll want to start on the easy stuff. Pace yourself, it's going to be a wild night." She smiled at him, her blue eyes dancing with mischief.

"So what'll it be?" She asked Naomi after mixing cocktails for Bonnie and Mrs Next Door, and just a coke for Mr Next Door.

"I don't know. What do you recommend?" She asked, impressed by Sadie's knowledge of drink.

"What do you fancy?" She asked. "Beer, wine, something straightforward or a cocktail."

"I think I'd like to try one of your cocktails...see what my Mum's been raving about." Naomi chuckled.

"How do you like them, strong, fruity, sexy?" She joked.

"Just make me something." Naomi glared at her. She watched as she again filled the cocktail shaker with ice and free poured Raspberry vodka and peach schnapps into it. She filled it up with apple juice. She shook it up, this time doing some juggling tricks with it and poured it into a glass. She dropped in 2 straws and a muddler and presented it to Naomi with an elaborate hand gesture.

"Thank you." Naomi tentatively sipped the mixture. "Wow. That doesn't even taste like alcohol."

Sadie nodded proudly and reached into the cooler and grabbed herself a Corona. Again she took the blade from her wait and opened it, this time pushing a wedge of lime into the bottle neck.

"What is that?" Naomi asked, she had been wondering since she saw her use it on Kieran's beer earlier.

"This?" Sadie asked, pulling a long metal bar with a hole at either end from a holder on her waist and spinning it on her finger. "This is called a bar blade. It opens bottles, most places don't use them because they're time consuming and messy. I like to use them cause their fun and you can do tricks with them."

Naomi nodded. There was definitely something interesting about Sadie.

Over the next hour more and more people started to arrive, mostly Gina and Kieran's friends and a few of Naomi's relatives. They were all thoroughly impressed by the set up and praised Gina for being brave enough to organise something like this so close to the wedding. Sadie remained behind the bar making drinks for everyone as they arrived. She had promised Gina and Kieran they could count on her impressive bar tending skills to wow their guests until 11 and then she would leave jugs of cocktails sitting and people could help themselves.

"Thank you so much for all of this Sadie." Gina cooed, well into her forth cocktail by now.

"Was no trouble." She shrugged. She enjoyed doing it. Especially in front of new crowds, their reactions always gave her a slight buzz.

"You really are very good at it." Gina nodded enthusiastically.

"Isn't she though?" Kieran chimed in behind Gina. "Very talented is my young niece. And when she joins the party later you will see she also handles her drink quite impressively too." He joked.

The doorbell rang and since Naomi seemed to be the only one who heard it she sulked off to answer it. It was Effy. She wore skin tight black denim jeans that were ripped above the knee and an off-white vest that clung to her slender frame.

"You're the first one here." Naomi informed her as she stepped over the threshold. Ordinarily Effy Stonem was never the first one to a party but considering she was one of the few of Naomi's friends who had been to her house before it wasn't surprising she made it before everyone else. "In here." Naomi directed her to the living room.

Effy walked inside and took in the surroundings. She'd never actually seen Naomi's living room before but she could tell it had been moved around. The set up was perfect for a party, there was even a bar. Her eyes fell on the red head standing behind the bar. There was no one needing a drink so Sadie was passing the time spinning a spirit bottle in her hand, around her head, over her shoulder in time to the music.

"Who's that?" Effy asked, not taking her eyes off the girl who had no idea she was being watched.

"Sadie, she's Kieran's niece and apparently a kick ass bar tender." Naomi added sipping the drink she had made her. Naomi watched as Effy's eyes remained fixed on the girl trying to figure her out because that's what Effy does best.

"I'm thirsty." She said, walking towards the bar leaving Naomi behind her.

"Impressive." Effy said, stunning Sadie out of her spinning trance. Sadie couldn't quite tell if the voice was genuine or loaded with sarcasm.

"Thank you." She said assuredly, looking to find the source of the voice. The first thing she noticed was the brilliant blue of Effy's eyes. They were hypnotic and Sadie had no doubt that their owner knew this and used it to her advantage. "Drink?" She asked after realising she'd been staring at the girl for a little bit longer than necessary.

"Definitely." Effy's lips curled into a sly smile.

"What are you having then?"

"What do you recommend?" She asked in a sultry tone, their eyes still locked on each others.

"You don't look like a cocktail drinker." Sadie mused. "Well, nothing fruity anyway but I bet I can make something for you." She eyed up the girl and thought for a second. She loaded the cocktail shaker full of ice and shook a measure of vodka in it. She discarded the vodka into a separate glass and kept the ice in the shaker, pouring a generous measure of Gin, dry Martini and lemon juice into it. She shook the mixture vigorously, throwing it up and catching it behind her back for good measure. She then grabbed a Martini glass and rotated it by the stem in her fingers a few times before setting it up and pouring it in. She garnished it with a lemon wedge and presented it to the brunette standing before her. Effy examined the drink before accepting it and sipping.

"It's good." She said. In reality she had never tasted anything quite like this before but she wasn't going to let this girl know that.

"I'm glad you think so." Sadie replied with just a hint of attitude. Effy smirked.

"Ok I'm ready for the hard stuff!" Derm walked up to the bar and slammed down an empty can of Carling.

***

"Someone said something about a party." Cook said excitedly when Naomi answered the door. He entered the house, followed by Freddie and JJ. Pandora and Thomas made their way up the drive as Naomi was about to close the door.

"In here." Naomi rolled her eyes and beckoned them to follow her to the living room. They entered and found Effy standing at the make shift bar with two red heads a bit older than them. They moved forward as a group to see what was going on. Effy sipped her drink from the Martini glass eliciting curiosity in most of them. Naomi nodded at Sadie and Diarmuid.

"Alright Naomi. These your friends then?" Sadie asked, straightening up behind the table. Naomi nodded.

"This is Pandora, Thomas, JJ, Freddie, Cook and..."

"Effy." The brunette interrupted Naomi. Sadie raised her eyebrow at her and nodded.

"Everyone this is Kieran's niece and nephew, Sadie and Dermot." Naomi gestured towards the siblings. There was a brief moment's silence where they all stared at and sized each other up.

"So you're Irish right?" Cook asked. They nodded their response. "Are you as mental as everyone says then?" He asked in a manner that only Cook could get away with.

"Well I don't know about mental but I reckon we could drink you lot under the table." Was Sadie's retort. It almost sounded like a challenge.

"Oh really?" Cook scoffed, but was soon hushed by Freddie and Naomi.

"Speaking of would any of you like a drink?" Sadie offered. They all shouted forward. Derm shot her a look.

"You're all 18 right?" She asked.

"17!" JJ answered honestly.

"Close enough." Sadie shrugged. She gave the boys a beer each.

"Just an orange juice for me." JJ said cheerfully. Sadie looked at him curiously.

"Jay doesn't drink." Naomi informed her.

"Good for you." Sadie smiled. She filled a glass with ice, stylishly flicking the last cube into the air and catching it with the glass. She filled it with pure orange juice and handed it to JJ. With his curly hair and bright, innocent smile she just wanted to hug him.

"What about you Pandora?" Sadie asked.

"Sadie makes great cocktails." Effy smiled, looking at Sadie rather than Panda.

"Great, I'll have sex on the beach please?" She said with a whole lot of cheer in her voice. Sadie bit her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing and smiled at the girl. She half filled a glass with cranberry juice before pouring the necessary ingredients into the cocktail shaker. She smirked and started to shake the mixture throwing the shaker up and spinning it around in her hand for extra effect. Pandora's jaw dropped in amazement. She pulled the lid off and carefully decanted the orange liquid into the glass so it floated on the cranberry juice.

"Wicked!" Cook cried out with glee. That was almost as good as one of JJ's magic tricks.

"Very impressive!" JJ said giddily. "And also an excellent example of the way that liquids with different densities interact with each other in a confined container." Everyone shot him a look and took his word for it.

"Alright you can stop showing off now." Derm rolled his eyes at his sister. She loved having an audience.

"I don't show off." Sadie pouted at her brother. "I'm just naturally talented." She said cheekily, ruffling her older brother's hair. He scowled and glared at her.


	5. Once a bartender

The party was in full swing now and Sadie's bar obligations were complete. She was filling jugs with the cocktails she'd been making all night so she could sneak away.

"Finally!" She sighed as she poured herself a generous measure of Bacardi and topped it off with coke. Before anyone could spot her she sneaked out the back for a smoke, but not quick enough it would seem. Sitting down on the patio chair she inhaled deeply from her cigarette and exhaled slowly, watching the patterns the smoke made as it blew into the night.

"So where'd you learn all of that?" A voice in the doorway said. Sadie turned to see the mysterious brunette known as Effy standing there lighting up her own cigarette.

"It's my job." Sadie replied flatly. She was still trying to figure this girl out.

"You must be pretty good at it then." Effy mused, perching herself on the step.

"Must be." Sadie shrugged. "They pay me enough for it." She laughed. There was a silence between them. It wasn't uncomfortable but filled with anticipation, each of them waiting to see what the other had to say. Sadie had resolved not to speak first, after all Effy had followed her out here for a reason and she was eager to find out what it was.

"So you're Kieran's niece then?" She internally cringed as she said it. Effy Stonem, queen of mystery, mistress of allure and seer of everything, couldn't think of anything better to say. She kicked herself. She didn't even know why she had followed Sadie out here in the first place; she had just been sort of drawn to be alone with her, away from the din of the others. There was something about her that piqued Effy's curiosity.

"That was the best you could come up with?" Sadie laughed breathing smoke out into the darkness. Effy laughed as well and shrugged thankful it was dark so Sadie wouldn't notice the pale pink blush colouring her cheeks.

"I don't usually make small talk." She stated with a devilish smile. Even in the darkness it was hard not to notice that she had a beautiful smile.

"No, I didn't think you did." Sadie cast a sidelong glance at the girl, eyeing her up. Her long brunette hair was falling over her shoulders creating a stark contrast against her pale skin and those blue eyes seemed to shine even in the dark. She really was quite pretty.

"Lucky for you I make a living out of making small talk with drunk people." She jibed moving from her seat to sit on the step beside Effy. "Do you come here often?" She said with a sultry pout, managing to keep her face straight for all of 30 seconds before bursting out laughing. Effy chuckled as well.

"Just for the record I've never used that line before in my life!" She said when she regained her composure.

"No I didn't think you had." Effy chuckled, taking another draw of her cigarette. Sadie caught herself watching the younger girl's lips as they curled around the butt.

"Are you enjoying the party then?" Sadie said, so close to Effy now she could feel the bare skin of their arms touching. She hadn't even been aware of which one of them had been edging closer. Maybe it was both of them.

"It's alright." Effy said turning to look at Sadie, her hand grazing the Irish girl's leg as she did so. "I have a feeling it's going to get a lot better before it's over." She answered flirtatiously. Sadie licked her lips at the proximity of their faces, drawing Effy's attention to her lips. Her pink and moist lips; she didn't know what it was but she could feel something stir inside her making her want to taste them.

"Told you she'd be out here." Naomi's voice came from behind them stealing their attention from each other.

"I should have known." Derm sighed, following her deeper into the garden.

"Hey." Naomi greeted the pair. She couldn't help but notice the closeness of their bodies and their shared body language but she decided not to comment on it. She was probably just reading into something that wasn't there.

"Havin fun?" Sadie asked her, discarding her extinguished cigarette in a nearby plant pot.

"Yeah, great! I can't believe you convinced my mum to do this, you'll have to teach me before you leave!" She chuckled as she sparked up. "Are you guys enjoying yourselves?" She asked, both of the girls picking up on the innuendo in her question. Effy gave a non committed shrug as she finished her cigarette.

"I will be once I get another drink." Sadie smiled and shook her empty glass. "Do you mind?" She asked Naomi motioning towards the door.

"No go ahead."

"Thanks! I think I have about 2 hours of catching up to do. I'm sure my brother will be chivalrous enough to keep you company, won't you Derm?" She said standing up.

"Of course I will." He said cheerfully, the vodka starting to take its effects.

"You're a good man Dermot." Naomi joked giving him a hardy pat on the shoulder.

"You know I could do with another as well." Effy stated plainly, getting up and heading into the house after Sadie.

Naomi and Diarmuid exchange a look in the dark.

"What was that all about?" Naomi said what they both were thinking.

"I have no idea." He said slowly shaking his head.

"Interesting." Naomi said thoughtfully, looking at the backdoor where the two girls had just disappeared inside the house.

"Do you think there's something going on?" Diarmuid asked. "I mean...Sadie...is your friend?"

"Who knows?" Naomi said. And it was true, who in the world could pin Elizabeth Stonem down as being anything. It wouldn't surprise her; well nothing Effy did surprised anyone anymore. Still Naomi had a definite soft spot for the girl. She may have gone off the rails but Naomi was one of the few people who had understood why and beneath all that attitude there was actually a very sweet girl.

"We'll just have to see won't we?" She said cheerfully.

Inside the house everyone was in good spirits, Freddie, Cook and the rest of the gang had taken over the couch on the far side of the room. Raucous laughter could be heard coming from their direction as Cook almost fell off his seat. Gina and Kieran were sitting to the side of the room surrounded by friends and relatives all of them looking merry smiling and sharing stories. Sadie went to the bar and helped herself to another drink, a double this time. Noticing one of the jugs was almost empty she rolled her eyes and started to mix the ingredients to refill it.

"Do you ever quit?" Effy smirked at her from the other side of the table.

"Once a bartender always a bartender." Sadie came back with a shrug. "Are you following me?" She narrowed her eyes at the girl.

"Maybe." Effy replied coquettishly. "Do you want me to be following you?" She raised her eyebrow at the older girl.

"Well that depends on why you're following me doesn't it." She raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"Eff!" An over excited and mildly intoxicated Pandora ran towards the bar. "Mega good party innit?" Effy made an agreeing noise. Pandora set her empty glass on the table and looked at Sadie.

"Could I have another one please?" She asked politely.

"Of course you can...Pandora?" Effy nodded to let Sadie know she was right.

"Thanks!" Panda shouted. She seemed to lose all control over the volume of her voice when she was drinking. "They're wicked good. I mean you can't even taste the alcohol in them or anything. Not like those drinks we had the other night at Uncle Keith's those were proper nasty. But there must be a lot of alcohol in them because I can feel my lips going tingly already." She said all in one breath and giggled.

"There you are." Sadie presented her drink to her.

"Cheers. Are you going to come sit with us?" She asked. Sadie glanced at Effy and nodded.

"Wizard!" She said speeding off to the couch again and into Thomas's arms.

"She gets a bit over stimulated sometimes. She does exercises nightly." Effy said with a smile, remembering Pandora's mum at her birthday party. "You get a prize if you understood all that." She joked.

"Please," Sadie scoffed. "That's nothing where I come from people talk faster than that normally. Just wait till later when me and Derm get drunk and talk to each other and you'll see, you'll probably find it indecipherable."

As they approached the couch they noticed Naomi and Diarmuid were already there talking to the others. Dermy and Cook were animatedly discussing something that became more apparent when Cook stood up and revealed a large cross tattoo on the rib cage. Sadie sighed and shook her head.

"You really should warn your friend not to get into a competition over tattoos with a tattoo artist because he's going to lose." Sadie remarked to Effy.

"You're brother is a tattoo artist?" She sounded genuinely interested.

"And a pretty good one at that. And I'm not just saying that because he does my work for free." She chuckled.

"You have a lot of tattoos then?" She asked. Sadie nodded, "I'd love to see them sometime." Effy smiled, now it was her turn to be suggestive.

"Maybe if you're lucky."

"No Cook, no!" Everyone was shouting at him. Across the room Kieran looked up to see what was going on and politely excused himself for a minute. Cook was standing up undoing his belt.

"Cook!" Freddie said sternly. JJ was sitting on the arm of the sofa torn between covering his eyes and covering his ears.

"Alright fella!" Kieran's thick Northern brogue broke through the chaos. Cook stopped in his tracks. "Now I've seen your little tattoo and while it's impressive that they managed to tattoo something so small I swear to God if you get it out at this party in front of my future wife and family, they'll be using the tattoo as a guideline for how to stitch your favourite appendage back on. Ok?" He finished cheerfully.

"Sorry Kieran." Cook apologised sincerely, having forgotten the company he was in.

"Good man!" Kieran smiled as Cook sat back down. "Enjoy the party. And if you go home drunk please don't tell your parents where you've been. Especially you Naomi." He joked before leaving them to it.

"I don't even want to know what the tattoo was." Sadie wrinkled he nose.

"I'm sorry to break it to you Cookie but I think Sadie has more tattoos than both of you." Naomi interjected. Everyone looked at her in confusion as the majority of Sadie's tattoos weren't currently visible.

"You have seen her tattoos?" Derm asked in a mixture of shock and confusion.

"We _are_ sharing a room bro." Sadie reminded him.

"Well let's see them then." Cook said, intrigued by the fact that a girl had more tattoos than him.

"I don't think so because with the exceptions of the few you can see right now on my arms, feet and neck I'm afraid the rest are staying covered." She said pointedly.

"That's alright, I get it." He flashed her a cheeky grin. "How about we arrange a private viewing later then, just me and you?" Freddie and Naomi rolled their eyes. Effy's eyes darted to Sadie to see what her reaction would be. She had no idea why she cared, but something inside her gagged at the thought of Cook even touching Sadie. Sadie laughed out loud.

"I'm sorry pet but you're a cock and two testicles over being my type. Nice try though." She added encouragingly. Diarmuid laughed and it rippled through the rest of the group. Even Cook was laughing.

"You're funny! I like that Irish!" He said approvingly.


	6. The night is young

It was after 2am when Kieran and Gina were waving goodbye to the last of their guests. The youngest members of the party were still sitting on the couches, Pandora was drifting in and out of consciousness, and Naomi was lying back in a chair with a classically drunk expression on her face watching everyone else. Diarmuid and Cook were discussing weights training while JJ, Freddie and Thomas were playing some game with JJ's cards. Sadie and Effy were sitting rather close on the couch; Sadie was quite impressed with how the younger girl was holding her alcohol.

"Oh to be young again." Kieran sighed in the doorway with his arm around Gina.

"And able to party all night." Gina continued.

"For days on end." Kieran finished.

"What? Are you going to bed?" Sadie asked in a mild stupor.

"Fraid so." Kieran answered gravely. "Some of us aren't young anymore and have grown up things to do tomorrow."

"That sucks!" Naomi muttered.

"You're all more than welcome to stay up and keep drinking if you want." Gina informed them not wanting to ruin the party for them.

"Are you sure?" Sadie asked, not wanting to impose on her already generous hospitality.

"Of course, you should enjoy yourselves; you can stay the night if you want. And thanks for everything Sadie, tonight was amazing." She smiled warmly.

"Oh, you're welcome. It was nothing really." She shied from the praise.

"Well goodnight everyone." She said, bending over the back of Naomi's chair to kiss her daughter's head.

"Goodnight Ms Campbell." They called back. She looked affronted.

"Please, it's Gina!" She smiled as she left the room closing the door behind her. Sadie stood up, Effy almost tipped over without her to lean on. She made her way to her bar and examined it. There was still a lot of drink left. She smiled wickedly and made her way back to the group.

"Come on kids the night is still young, we have copious amounts of alcohol and free reign of the living room. Who's up for having some fun?" She said mischievously.

"Well I'm up for it if you think you can keep up Irish." Cook bragged. Sadie rolled her eyes at his bravado. Derm sniggered knowing full well his sister could probably drink the boy under the table.

"Alright then why doesn't someone wake up Princess Positive there and we can play a few drinking games." She said gesturing towards Pandora who was snoozing on the corner of the couch.

"Derm could you bring that table over here please?" Sadie asked, the muscular man got up to oblige.

"What are you going to do?" He asked as Sadie went to leave the room.

"I'm going to have a bine." She said with a smirk. Everyone looked at each other in confusion.

"Bine?" Naomi mouthed to the rest of them.

"She's gone for a smoke." Dermy translated.

"Oh." Naomi's lips formed a perfect circle around the word; it looked rather comical. "That's a good idea." She said getting up to join Sadie, as did Effy.

"Hey," Cook nudged Freddie in the ribs. "Do you think they're having a muff munchers meeting out there?" He laughed. Freddie shook his head and sighed.

Outside Sadie was sitting with her feet up on the patio table, her hat tipped back on her head as she watched the clouds of smoke she exhaled blowing away. She turned and nodded her greeting to the other girls.

"I didn't know you were such a heavy smoker Nay." Effy commented as she borrowed the other girl's lighter. That was the drawback of wearing so little clothes; no pockets.

"I'm not really. I don't know I just smoke less when Emily's here because I know she doesn't like it." She shrugged.

"Sweet." Effy said with a smile and only a slight giggle.

"That's a slippery slope Naomi." Sadie chimed in. "Today she has you smoking less tomorrow she has you chained to the oven." She laughed, so did Naomi.

"No, Ems knows I'm quite useless in the kitchen."

"Mmm..." Sadie considered taking another draw. "Well as they say a lack of talent in the kitchen can be made up by a lot of talent in the bedroom." She smirked, catching Effy's eye as she spoke. This did not go unnoticed by Naomi who was also observing the lack of space between them.

"Fortunately I'm quite gifted in both departments." She winked at Effy who tried to hide a grin.

"I'll take your word for it." Naomi gave a tight lipped smile.

"Aw does that mean you don't want to taste my cooking?" Sadie joked. Naomi rolled her eyes. There was no denying the charm of the Irish.

"Sorry." She put on an exaggerated sad face. "I think Eff would be more than willing to try it though." She raised her eyebrows at her friend who glared at her wondering what she knew and hoping that they couldn't see the pink hue in her cheeks. Sadie took no notice of Naomi's teasing and just laughed.

"Well my mother always told me that boy's should never be left to their own devices for too long so perhaps we should move this inside before something catches fire." She suggested.

***

"Shouldn't someone wake Pandora up before she misses all the fun?" JJ asked.

"I believe that is my job." Thomas said his French accent thicker than usual. He turned to her and tenderly kissed the side of her head. She didn't even stir from her sleep; in fact JJ would swear she simply snored louder.

"Panda." He said softly. "Pandora?" He didn't want to startle her.

"That's not gonna do the trick son." Diarmuid smiled at the younger man's romantic notion. Thomas smiled innocently.

"I didn't think it would."

"Is she still asleep?" Naomi laughed when the girls came back inside. "Let me try." She stood in front of the snoring blonde and gently held the girl's nose. Pandora awoke up with a loud snort and no idea she'd been unconscious for the past half hour.

"Where'd everybody go?" She asked. Everyone laughed.

"You fell asleep." Naomi informed her with a solemn nod.

"Oh." She pouted, disappointed with herself.

"Never mind Panda. You didn't miss much." Effy consoled her approaching the group with her arms full of glasses and a bottle of vodka.

"The party's just starting now anyway." Sadie added setting the rest of the alcohol on the table and sitting down at the head of the coffee table. "Do any of you know any drinking games?" She asked. They all exchanged looks, with the exceptions of who can down a quarter bottle of vodka the fastest and who can do it without throwing up they did not know any.

Sadie and Diarmuid looked at each other.

"These poor children and their unfortunate British upbringing." Sadie shook her head sorrowfully. "What should we play?" She asked her brother.

"We could play kings?" He shrugged.

"See I was thinking that but there's a whole lot of rules to explain..."

"Yeah I know what you mean. Guess the suit?"

"Yeah I was thinking that or I have never. But that's..."

"Dangerous." He finished her sentence and chuckled.

"Guess the suit it is." She said finally. The rest of the group just stared at them. The conversation had occurred at lightning speed in an accent they didn't really understand and they had only caught a few words.

"What's I have never?" Pandora asked.

"A very risky game." Sadie told her, picking up JJ's deck of cards and shuffling them in her hands.

"Why's that?" Effy asked.

"Because you might find out things you never needed or wanted to know." She answered with a twisted smile. "Anyway that's not what we're playing. We'll play guess the suit to get everyone warmed up and suitably drunk. It's pretty simple. Derm-Derm will explain while I fill the glasses."

"All you have to do is guess the suit." He said simply. "If you get it wrong you have to drink. If you get 3 wrong in a row you have to do a penalty shot." Everyone nodded and the cards were dealt.

As it turned out JJ had quite a flair for guessing the suit which everyone just attributed to the fact that they were his magic cards. Freddie on the other hand was not quite so gifted getting it wrong almost every time. By the end of the game he had done 2 penalty shots and was onto his third drink. Naomi as it turned out had developed a system to play this game; she figured if she said hearts every time she would eventually have to be right. She fared almost as badly as Freddie.

They played a few more games before they got bored and reverted to just plain old drink and conversation. The evening proved a bit too exciting for JJ who soon fell asleep curled up in Naomi's arm chair. Naomi got a blanket from upstairs and threw it over him then ruffled his hair.

"Wonder what's on TV." She thought out loud as she sat back down with the remote in her hand.

"Hey...hey magic man's twitching over there." Diarmuid pointed out, fearing the guy might be having some sort of vitamin C overdose from all the orange juice.

"He does that." Freddie nodded seriously. "Can you believe he actually gets locked on when he's sleeping?" He said to the others whose general reaction was a smile or a quiet giggle.

"Locked on?" Sadie asked looking confused.

"Long story Irish." Cook answered with his hands tucked up his t-shirt. "It's part of what's our JJ so special. Ain't that right Freds?" He smiled lovingly at the sleeping boy. Freddie nodded. Sadie shrugged, she was quite possibly too drunk to care. She was more concerned as to whether or not anyone had noticed that Effy had been softly stroking the inside of her arm for the past 20 minutes.

"I love this show." Naomi exclaimed when she stumbled across a repeat of Mock the week.

"Me too!" Freddie said, moving to sit on the arm of Naomi's chair to get a better view.

"It's fucking great." Sadie and Dermy agreed at almost the exact same time.

They watched the same channel for the next hour or so chatting idly and laughing. Getting up to fill her glass Sadie stopped and took in the scenes before her. JJ was still sleeping soundly in the arm chair, blissfully unaware of what was going on around him and completely innocent. Thomas and Pandora were also dead to the world lying on the couch with their arms wrapped around each other as if they were afraid to let go.

'_Young love.'_ Sadie thought to herself and smiled. Everyone else was still awake. Freddie and Naomi were arguing over what to watch now. Naomi, of course, was winning with her practised argumentative skills and when those failed she resorted to saying that it was her house and that meant she got to choose. Sadie liked this girl. She was a straight talker and she was funny as hell too. She was definitely a welcome addition to the extended family.

Diarmuid seemed to be enjoying himself too. He and Cook had been talking about tattoos again and he was now sitting to the side of the room with some paper and a pencil doodling ideas and discussing them with what could only be described as his younger Bristol counterpart. Drawing with one hand, drinking with the other there was no question about whether or not he was happy. Sadie took a deep breath and a long drink. She had to admit she liked Bristol.

Her eyes moved to Effy who was lying with her feet up on the 2 seat sofa they had previously been sharing. Her long legs bent at the knee and her head was tipped back over the arm of the chair; she looked so tempting. Yeah, Sadie definitely liked Bristol. As though she could feel Sadie's eyes on her Effy turned her head and locked eyes with her, smiling coyly. Knowing she'd been caught perving and not caring at all Sadie smiled back and nodded in the direction of the back door. Effy nodded back and threw her legs off the couch. No one turned to look as they silently exited the room together.

It was just after 5am now and day was just beginning to break. The sky was somewhere between light grey and pale blue and the air was cool and clear. With a cigarette in one hand and a drink in the other Sadie climbed on to the tiny wall that surrounded the patio area. She just loved this time of morning, even though she rarely saw it. Arms extended at shoulder height for balance she began to walk backwards and forwards along the wall. Effy perched herself on the wall opposite and just watched her.

"Well it's 4 in the morning and I'm walking along beside the ghost of every drinker who's ever done wrong." She sang quietly as she turned swiftly and walked the other way. There was something about this time, being up before anyone else, before all the noise had started, that made Sadie feel like anything was possible.

"So if you're crazy I don't care you amaze me. A girl like you is just irresistible." She finished looking at Effy and jumping down off the wall and sitting on it.

"Sorry. I tend to get a bit...energetic at this time of morning. And also sing when I'm drunk...badly." She smiled sweetly.

"It's alright." Effy moved to sit on the wall beside Sadie. "It was kind of cute actually." She bit her lips and looked away as shocked as Sadie was by her words. She didn't usually compliment people, but then again she didn't usually find drunk people singing on walls cute either.

"I don't think a lot would find that cute." Sadie joked.

"Yeah well I'm not like a lot of people." Effy countered looking at Sadie with those disarming blue eyes.

"No, I don't think you are." She said thoughtfully. She was completely sincere when she said it and she meant it in the sweetest way, Effy felt a little touched by her sentiment. There was a moments silence as they stared deep into each other's eyes. The air felt electric as Effy's eyes dropped to Sadie's lips and she moved closer. Sadie's breath hitched in anticipation as she silently prayed they wouldn't be interrupted again and as Effy's lips met her own it seemed her prayers had been answered.

After an evening full of suggestive comments and flirtatious comments the expectation carried on the kiss was electrifying. When their lips met it was nothing like what they had been expecting; it took them both by surprise. It was eager and intense but it was also soft and tender. It was not just vapid, alcohol fuelled kissing for the sake of feeling something; it was almost caring and carried with it a feeling of potential. They had to admit, if only to themselves that it was much better than the lusty grabbing they had first imagined.

"Wow." Effy muttered when they broke apart. Sadie released a shaky breath and watched the younger girl for a reaction.

"That was..." The brunette searched for an adequate adjective.

"Unexpected?" Sadie offered, still trying to get her own head around that tender kiss. Effy nodded.

"But..." She added not wanting the older girl to think she hadn't enjoyed it. She had. A lot. More than she thought she would.

"Nice?" It sounded like a question. Effy nodded but looked away. She was quiet for a minute then looked back at Sadie.

"I really want to do it again." She said honestly. Sadie couldn't believe the openness of it all. She sounded so vulnerable when she spoke it had shocked her slightly. It made her want to kiss her even more.

Leaning in she captured Effy's lips once more. This time the kiss was more passionate, filled with a need for each other as they fought for dominance. Effy's hands moved up and wrapped themselves around Sadie's neck as they deepened the kiss. Sadie's hands soon found themselves in long brown hair. When they broke apart again, breathless, they looked at each other for a second and smiled. Their smiles turning into a kind of nervous laughter before Sadie eventually spoke.

"Let's go back inside." She suggested. It was still quite cold and neither of them was wearing a lot of clothing. They didn't know what was going on between them or what their kisses meant, but they both knew they were not about to have a deep and meaningful conversation right now. Sadie stood up and pulled Effy up. As quietly as they had left they returned to their seats, their hands still linked. It did not go unnoticed by Naomi who raised her eyebrow and tried to catch Diarmuid's eye. He had also noticed the two girls holding hands and gestured for Naomi to follow him to the kitchen.

"Do you think something happened out there?" She asked in a hushed tone, looking though the kitchen door at the couple in question. They were lying up on the couch, Effy was leaning her back to Sadie's chest and they were giggling about something on TV.

"I don't know." He shrugged. Naomi huffed. "How the hell would I know?" He asked impatiently. His alcohol buzz was wearing off now and he was starting to feel tired.

"She's your sister." Naomi shrugged.

"She's your friend." He argued back. "Look the only way we're going to find out is if we ask them and I don't think that they would even give us an answer if we did ask, do you?"

"No." She didn't know Sadie very well but she knew without a doubt there was no way Effy would give an answer to that question.

"Look...leave it till tomorrow and I'll talk to her and find out what's going on, ok?" He offered. He couldn't help it he was a sucker and he hated to see girls look so disappointed.

They returned to the living room and Naomi watched how Sadie and Effy were interacting. They were messing around; Effy had taken Sadie's hat and was now wearing it dodging Sadie's attempts to grab it back and giggling heartily. Effy looked relaxed and content. It was the first time in a long time Naomi had seen her look so happy. Naomi smiled too; maybe this was a good thing between her and Sadie.


	7. Aftermath from the party

It wasn't long before the rest of them had fallen asleep in their seats, no longer able to fight their tired eyes. They didn't even stir when Kieran blindly stumbled through the living room on his way to the kitchen at 9.30 the next morning. He felt a pang of nostalgia when he saw them crashing in the living room, sprawled out like cats, and remembered his own misspent youth. Patting his young nephew on the head he thought about the party the night before and how nice it was to have them here. However he didn't have time for this sentimentality right now, his future wife had provided him with a list of errands about as long as the yellow pages that had to be completed before the end of the week so he hurried off to make a start at them.

It was close to noon before Sadie stirred feeling still quite drunk. She felt the weight of someone lying on her chest and was about to push them away when she remembered it was Effy. She smiled to herself and gently brushed the younger girl's hair off her face; she looked so peaceful when she slept. Looking around the living room it seemed everyone else was still asleep. The living room was a mess. Not wanting to wake Effy she carefully lifted her up and put a cushion down in her place. She stood up, feeling a little wobbly, and stretched wondering where to begin. She picked her hat up off the floor and put it back on. She grabbed a half filled bin bag and used it to dispose of all the empty paper plates and bowls as well as all the empty cans.

"Good morning Sadie." JJ's voice startled her and she jumped.

"Good morning JJ." She smiled at the boy when her heart started beating again. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, no, I'm naturally an early riser. I've been awake for ages." He was so cheerful. Sadie smiled, secretly wondering if he had seen her tenderly stroking Effy's hair. That could be bad for her image.

"Would you like some help?" He asked, standing up and folding his blanket.

"Oh thanks." She replied, gathering together all the glass bottles for recycling. She was sure Naomi would appreciate that.

"Where did you learn all those tricks you were doing last night?" He asked as they cleaned.

"I went on a bar tending course once, picked up a few things. Bring in the tips."

"I'll bet! It's quite impressive."

"It's just a bit of juggling J." She shrugged.

"We could work together and do a magic trick." He suggested. "It'd be a great party piece for the wedding."

"Yeah, that'd be great. Could you give me a hand with this?" She asked standing behind the table. The rest of the furniture would be fine for a while but Sadie figured Gina would like the table returned to the kitchen as soon as possible.

"Of course." He said. "But I must confess my strong points do not lie within the realm of physical strength." Sadie laughed.

"Well I managed to get it in her on my own so I'm sure you'll be alright." She assured him as he lifted the other end of the table and they carried through the kitchen door.

"I was wondering when I was going to get that back." Gina was sitting on a lone chair in the middle of the kitchen, wearing a dressing gown and clutching a cup of tea. Sadie didn't even know she was in the kitchen. They put the table back in its original position and Gina placed her cup on it.

"Great. Now I can make breakfast." She smiled and moved to the cooker.

"Breakfast?" She asked excitedly. "I can see why our Kieran's marrying you." Sadie gave the woman a dramatic hug. Gina laughed.

"Why don't you two go wake the others then this won't take long."

They went back into the living room, the smell of bacon cooking had already wafted through and roused Pandora whose eyes sprung open and she thumped Thomas.

"Can you smell bacon?" She asked.

"Gina's cooking breakfast." Sadie informed her.

"Wizard! I love Naomi's house!" She cried excitedly and rushed off towards the kitchen. Thomas gave them a sheepish smile and followed her. Sadie grabbed the cushion they'd been lying on and hurled it at her brother. He woke up with a startled grunt so loud that it woke Naomi from her sleep.

"There better be coffee." She grumbled, not pleased about being woke up.

"Jesus fucking Christ! What the fuck?" He growled rubbing his stinging eyes.

"Get up you lazy arse! There's breakfast in the kitchen." Sadie scolded him.

"Oh God breakfast." He gagged at the thought of eating.

"There's tea." She added. This perked him up and he smiled.

"Breakfast? Really?" Cook asked. "This is wicked." He giggled, probably still drunk from the night before.

"Yeah I'm starving!" Freddie rubbed his stomach as the boys headed into the kitchen leaving Sadie with the unenviable task of waking up Effy. She crouched down on the floor beside the couch.

"Effy." She called softly. Then she wasn't sure why but she leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Her eyes flickered beneath closed eyelids.

"Effy." She tried again a little louder. Her eyes snapped open and she looked around her, disorientated and not knowing where she was. She saw Sadie leaning over her and her mind flashed back to the night before.

"Morning." She smiled.

"Good morning." Sadie smiled back. "Good night last night?" She asked with a smirk.

"Yeah it was pretty good." Effy replied with a shrug and a smirk of her own.

"Come on." She said standing up and offering Effy her hand. "There's breakfast in the kitchen." She pulled the skinny girl from the couch.

In the kitchen the table was over crowded as they attacked the heaped plates of sausages, bacon and toast. Diarmuid was leaning by the sink clutching a mug of tea like it was his life line and staying as far away from the food and the smell of food as he could.

"So did you all enjoy last night?" Gina asked as Sadie filled two glasses of orange juice.

"Yeah it was wicked."

"Proper good night."

"Great party Mrs C!" They all answered at once. Gina blinked and tried to make sense of all the voices.

"I just think it was nice to go out and have a fantastic night and no one ended up in a fight, in hospital or the police station." JJ smiled brightly. Last night was the greatest night ever in his opinion.

"Yes." Gina smiled at him while trying to ignore what he had said. "The Irish really know how to throw a party don't they." She nodded towards Sadie.

"Yeah, and I always thought Kieran was exaggerating when he said it." Naomi laughed.

"You alright over there Dermot?" Gina asked the young man who didn't look too good.

"Yeah. Fine." He forced a smile.

"You not having any breakfast?"

"No. No thank you." He gave another tight lipped smile as his stomach wretched.

"Derm doesn't eat when he's hungover." Sadie informed her grabbing a piece of toast. "You should be grateful when he's not hungover he eats more than a family of three."

"I'm a growing boy." He said defensively from the sink.

"Well!" Cook announced as he stood up from the table. "I hate to eat and run but I gotta go see a man about a dog. Thank you very much for your hospitality Mrs Campbell and for this slap up breakfast."

"You're welcome dear." She smiled at him.

"I cannot wait for this wedding." He informed her. "If last night was anything to go by its pregnant." He grinned at her.

"Excuse me?" She hadn't a clue what he meant.

"I mean it's got potential! It's gonna be good!"

"Oh...thank you." She said with a confused smile.

"D-man, you keep workin on that sketch, yeah?" He pointed at Diarmuid who managed a nod and a feeble smile in return.

"See you later then." He said to everyone else before leaving.

"Bye Cook." They called after him.

"Alright Kieran." Cook greeted his form teacher as the past each other at the front door.

"Do I smell a fry?" Kieran asked making his way to the kitchen. He looked at the empty plates on the table and grunted his disappointment. "I guess I'm too late."

"Don't worry." Gina rolled her eyes at the grumpy Irish man. "I saved you some." She smiled and produced a plate from the microwave.

"See now that's why I'm marrying you. You're always thinking." He kissed her forehead and took the plate from her and sat down in Cooks empty seat.

"Smoke?" Effy asked Sadie. She nodded and they excused themselves slipping out the backdoor. Naomi and Diarmuid looked at each other and rushed to look out the window.

"Is there something going on out there?" A perceptive and inquisitive Gina asked, peering over their heads.

"No." They sighed, disappointed.

"Did you think there was?" She enquired. She thought the two girls had been very close at breakfast. Naomi and Diarmuid exchanged looks over whether they should say anything.

"No...Not really." Naomi bit her lip as she withheld the truth from her mother.

"I'm going out for a smoke anyway." Kieran informed them. "If they're out discussing plans for a civil partnership I'll let you all know." He rolled his eyes at them and headed out the backdoor.

Effy lit up and inhaled deeply. She frowned as she grabbed her head which was pounding.

"My head is splitting." She said softly, closing he eyes to keep the offensive daylight out.

"I thought it might be." Sadie chuckled softly as she reached into her pocket and produced 2 paracetamol. She held them out to another girl who looked up and her with a questioning face.

"They're just painkillers. Two of those and a glass of orange juice never fails to help hangovers." Sadie smiled. Effy smiled back. Their eyes met and there was a spark. They both knew what happened last night was more than just something that happened when they were drunk; there was something more there.

"And this is why I'm not so keen on marrying her." Kieran grumbled as he stepped out for a smoke. "I'm not interrupting anything am I?" He asked holding his hands up.

"Of course not Kieran." Effy replied with a sly smile at Sadie.

"Great." He sat down on one of the patio chairs. "Eh, did you know you have an audience?"

"What?" She looked at the window and saw Naomi and Diarmuid ducking out of sight. "Oh." She laughed as did Effy.

"I guess some people's lives just aren't as interesting as ours so they feel the need to spy." She sighed. Effy let out a short burst of laughter.

"It was just a heads up. I hope to God none of them can lip read or I'm fucked for tellin on them." He smiled and stubbed out his cigarette. "Just one more thing. If it does so happen that there is something going just, please don't do anything dramatic and steal my thunder ok?" He winked at Effy who was laughing uncontrollably.

"Kieran knows a lot more than he lets on doesn't he?" Effy mused after he was gone. Sadie nodded.

"Sorry about that by the way, and for the secret observers in the window. Derm can't help being nosey; he's Irish."

"I'm just sorry we weren't doing something worth watching." Effy smiled flirtatiously stepping closer to her until their faces were almost touching.

"We should get back inside." Sadie said through a poorly contained grin. "Before one of them strains their neck."

They both laughed as they went back inside making everyone wonder what they had been talking about. They moved from the kitchen back into the comfort of the living room.

"I'm sorry I can't stay but Mum's gone mental cause I stayed out all night and if I don't get back soon her head will flippin' blow! Thanks for a great party Naomi I can't wait for the wedding it's going to be a proper fun time!" She smiled at the blonde. "Bye."

"Bye Panda!" They called as she raced out the door.

"Goodbye." Thomas smiled at them as he hurried off after her.

"Wow. She's just a bundle of energy all the time isn't she?" Sadie mused. Everyone nodded.

"But she wouldn't be Pandora if she wasn't." Effy mused, throwing her legs up on Sadie's lap.

"Sadie!" Diarmuid's voice called from the kitchen. She groaned.

"What?" She shouted back, offending the ears of the hungover people in the living room. He didn't answer, that meant he wanted her to get up and go into the kitchen. She sighed heavily and glared at the kitchen door. "Sorry." She apologised to Effy as she slid her legs out of her lap and got up from the couch.

"Yes, what is it?" She asked impatiently when she got into the kitchen.

"I just wanted to talk to you for a minute." Sadie had a sneaking suspicion she knew what he wanted to talk about as well. "What's going on with you and the girl?" He asked with a nod towards the living room.

"What girl?" Sadie asked innocently, hoping the fact that she was avoiding his question would give her the hint that it was none of his business and she didn't want to talk about it.

"Don't play dumb Sadie, it doesn't suit you. You know what I'm talking about." He was a lot more irritable than usual in his ill state.

"Oh you mean Effy." He mimicked her feigning realisation then glared at her waiting for an answer.

"There's nothing going on there." She shrugged.

"You can't lie to me Sadie. For God's sake I have eyes, everyone in there has eyes, and we all saw they way you were getting on." His voice rising slightly with irritation.

"I'll thank you to keep your voice down." She raised her eyebrow at him in a warning way. "And yeah, maybe we were flirting so what?" She was starting to get annoyed now.

"So she's 17!"

"Yeah I noticed." She seethed. "And what?" She replied defiantly. He gave her one of those big brother looks.

"Oh don't even start Diarmuid." She was definitely angry now. "Tell me this would we be having this conversation if she was 23? No so don't even try and pull that age difference shit with me. She seems perfectly capable of making her own decisions to me."

He saw how mad his sister was getting and realised he'd struck a nerve. He had no idea she would react this way. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you I was just wondering what is going on, that's all." He reasoned.

"Yeah well I don't know what's going on." She sighed.

"Oh my God." He punctuated each word. "Holy shit, you like her."

"I didn't say that." She said a bit too defensively.

"Oh my God you do." He covered his mouth with his hand and shook his head.

"No...I don't know...maybe." She stuttered. Maybe she did like Effy, but that didn't mean anything, not really.

"Fuck!" He half-laughed. "I just hope you know what you're doing. I don't want to see you getting hurt." He said lovingly. She looked at her brother and he could see just how much she did like this girl and he knew she was in trouble.

"I don't want that either." She tapped him in the arm with her fist. "But let's get one thing clear right now, if I do like her or whatever happens between us it's my business ok?" She said sternly.

"What do you mean whatever happens? Has something already happened?" He asked excitedly. She glared at him, hoping her anger would mask the guilty look she was undoubtedly wearing.

"Something did happen. Last night when you two were outside. I knew it! I fucking knew it!" He said, feeling rather proud of himself.

"I can't talk to you when you're like this." She said in a huff and went to leave.

"Sadie. Sadie, wait. I'm sorry." He said sincerely. "I get it it's none of my business." He accepted. Though it was none of Naomi's business either but that didn't mean he wasn't going to tell her this juicy piece of information he'd just learned. She stopped and looked back at him.

"I promise. No more intrusive questions or spying. Just...be careful alright. The problem with you being a lesbian and me being a guy is that I can't beat up the people that break your heart." He joked, though Effy did look like she broke hearts, probably without even meaning to.

"I will." She promised him. "Now let's please go back into the living room so I can enjoy my hangover in comfort."

Before Sadie could sit back down the doorbell rang. Naomi looked at her hopefully, not wanting to get up.

"I'll get that then will I?" She rolled her eyes and headed to the door. "Christ you'd think I fucking lived here or something." She muttered as she opened the door.

"Surprise!" The red head on the doorstep shouted.

"Emily." Naomi jumped out of her seat and rushed to the door where her girlfriend was standing on the doorstep looking confused.

"I think it's for you." Sadie said sarcastically moving back into the living room. Naomi threw herself at Emily and gave her a hug so tight the red head could barely breathe.

"What are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming back till tomorrow!" She asked when she finally released her.

"Mum got a call from work and we came home first thing this morning." She explained smiling brightly at Naomi. "Eh, what's going on?" She asked when she noticed the numerous faces staring at them from the living room.

"Oh. Aftermath of last night." Naomi chuckled as she shut the door. "Everyone just sort of ended up crashing here."

"Oh." Emily nodded, looking around the room.

"Don't be so rude Naomi; introduce your girlfriend." The red head who answered the door said indignantly. She was sharing a two seat sofa with Effy; the brunette's legs were lying in her lap and Sadie's arms rested on her shins.

"Oh yeah, right. Emily this is Kieran's niece and nephew, the ones I was telling you about. That's Dermot." She pointed to the rather sick looking guy in the armchair. "And that's Sadie."

"We met." Sadie pointed at the door and chuckled. Effy chuckled too. Emily noticed the brunette's relaxed demeanour and close proximity to the red head and regarded it as highly unusual.

"This is Emily." Naomi said happily. She couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"HI." Emily gave them a small wave.

"God I wish I knew you were coming." Naomi sighed. "I would have changed, or washed or something." She smoothed down her clothes self-consciously.

"It's alright." Emily smiled. She was just happy to see her girlfriend again.

"So did I miss much last night?" She asked. It definitely looked as though it had been a good party, if Freddie and Diarmuid's rough faces were anything to go by.

"Not really. Just a really great party." Naomi said. "Oh and mum's friend Bonnie getting drunk and trying to pole dance in the middle of the living room...without a pole." She laughed. Everyone else laughed too, recalling the event.

"That was your fault." Effy said, poking Sadie in the side repeatedly with her bony finger. "Your cocktails should come with a warning label." She teased.

"Oi shut up! I didn't hear any of you complaining last night." She huffed. Grabbing Effy's hand and holding it away so she could no longer poke her. "How was I supposed to know the woman couldn't handle her liquor?"

Emily's eyebrow raised as she watched the interaction between the two girls. Everyone who'd been at the party had seemingly become immune to their flirtation, though Freddie's jaw tightened as he glared at them.

"Listen Naomi, we better get going." He said as he stood up. JJ looked at him slightly confused.

"Really?"

"Yeah. We wouldn't want to over stay our welcome Jay." He said pointedly. JJ got the hint, he didn't know why they were leaving but he knew there must be a good reason.

"No we wouldn't." He agreed. "It's nice to see you back Emily." He smiled at his friend as Freddie headed out the door.

"Thanks for the party Naomi." Freddie said rather solemnly, casting one last look at Sadie and Effy before leaving.

"Bye!" JJ waved cheerfully and followed him out the door.

"What was all that about?" Naomi muttered and then shrugged it off as another one of Freddie's moods.

"Eh...is he ok?" Emily asked, looking at the semi conscious Irish man with great concern. Sadie looked at her brother and laughed.

"Derm!" She yelled. He didn't even stir. "Diarmuid." She shouted and he woke with a groan.

"I think I need to go to bed." He said weakly.

"Yeah I think that's a good idea!" She nodded and he got up wordlessly and exited the living room.

"He's not as young as he used to be." Sadie shook her head.

"So how was your trip?" Naomi asked Emily, not caring that there were still two other people in the room.

"It was alright. As good as a trip away with my family can be anyway."

Sadie and Effy exchanged looks, both thinking the same thing; they should leave the happy couple alone.

"Eh, we'll just give you two some privacy." They said, heading out the front door for a smoke. Naomi barely looked up at them as they left.

"I missed you." They heard her say to Emily from the open living room window.

"Maybe not exactly private but at least they're alone." Sadie chuckled.


	8. Pink Ranger

"Oh Christ! You two again!" Kieran grumbled when he walked out of his house and almost tripped over the two girls sitting on his door step.

"Sorry Kieran." They apologised and moved aside to let him pass.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" He asked, looking at them curiously.

"Emily came home early." Sadie explained. "Thought we should give them some privacy since they weren't really caring about the fact that we were in the room anyway."

"Yeah that sounds about right." He chuckled. "Have you seen your brother?"

"Yeah, Diarmuid had to go back to bed." She said trying to hide a smile.

"Poor lad." He shook his head. "I was hoping for some help." He sighed.

"Where are you going anyway?" Sadie asked her uncle.

"I have slave...I mean husband to be messages to do." He rolled his eyes. If he didn't love Gina so much he probably would have told her where to go.

"Lucky you."

"What are you two up to?" He asked. "I mean besides causing a hazard on my front step."

"Nothing." They replied in unison.

"Well I should probably head home. I think I've imposed myself on you for too long already." Effy said half-joking.

"Nonsense. From what I can see you're keeping Sadie company while Naomi's busy with Emily." He smiled at her. "But if you want I'll give you a lift, I'm heading that way anyway." He offered.

"And what about you, pink ranger?" He asked his niece.

"Well I can't really go back in there now can I?" She pointed to the living room window. "Give me 5 minutes to change and I'll come into town with you."

"Pink ranger?" Effy mouthed at Sadie with a smirk.

"It's a nickname from when I was younger." Her jaw tightened as she felt her face flush. "Long story, you don't really want to hear it." She tried to brush it off.

"Ah nonsense! I'll tell her the story while you hurry off to get changed." Kieran grinned, knowing very well he was mortifying his niece. That's what uncles were for.

"Thanks." She muttered spitefully and went inside to change.

"Go on then." Effy encouraged. She had to hear this story.

"Ok right well, when Sadie was little I think she was about 7 or 8 she loved the power rangers. I mean she was obsessed with the power rangers but especially with the pink ranger, what was it you called her...Kimberly, I think."

"Yeah." Effy remembered watched power rangers with Tony when they were kids. She laughed to herself; she had always pretended to be the pink ranger.

"Well she was always running around pretending to be a power ranger she would dress up in her pink ranger costume and do cartwheels in the back garden. She almost broke her arm once trying to do a back flip off a patio table." He laughed. Effy could just imagine a young Sadie running around doing gymnastics in a pink ranger suit.

"She used to get really upset anytime Kimberly was in trouble and for no reason she hated that other power ranger guy when they hinted that he and Kimberly were...together." He laughed. "That whole phase really should have tipped us to her sexual orientation."

"Are you done talking about me?" Sadie asked dryly. She was now wearing black skinny jeans and a purple t-shirt with a waistcoat style cardigan over it. She had also quickly applied some eye makeup. It was an impressive transformation in five minutes.

"Pretty much." Effy grinned at her with that knowing look in her eyes.

"Thanks for that Kieran." Sadie said sarcastically, glaring at him.

"Well there'll be worse stories told when your mother arrives so I'd say I'm the least of your worries pink ranger." He shrugged.

"I suppose you're right."

"I get to meet your mum?" Effy asked.

"Yeah my mum, dad, another uncle, aunt and 2 cousins." Sadie said. "And that's not even the half of it. We're a big family."

"Wow." Effy thought. She had one aunt and uncle and 3 cousins; and she didn't get on with them very well.

"So did he tell you about the time I got him to play power rangers with me and he ended up with 5 stitches?" Sadie asked biting her bottom lip to keep from laughing. Effy laughed and shook her head.

"I still have a scar from that you wee madam!" Kieran chimed in un-amused. He rolled up his sleeve and showed Effy a thin, white scar on his elbow, she laughed even more and looked to Sadie for an explanation.

"You can tell it in the car I'm in a hurry." Kieran said looking at his watch. They piled into his small car; Sadie sat in the back with Effy.

"I was 7! My fabulous uncle Kieran had agreed to play power rangers with me and I told him to count to 10 then follow me into the garden. I climbed up onto the roof of our shed and waited for him to come out of the house. So he comes out looking for me expecting me to be hiding in the hedges or something and I jump off the shed screaming at him. He turns around but it's too late, by this point I'd landed square in his chest and knocked him on his arse."

"No one even knew she could climb onto the roof of the shed. For weeks we couldn't figure out how." Kieran grumbled in the driver's seat.

"Yeah well you would have been fine if it wasn't for that rock buried in the grass." She argued.

"He gets up, clutching his elbow and there's blood pissing out of it. I panic and call my mum. He had sliced it open on a rock in the grass and was bleeding everywhere. My mum came out and nearly fainted. My dad was standing swearing and I start crying because I think I'm going to get in trouble. We eventually got him to hospital and he had 5 stitches. I got grounded for a week but I argued my way out of it." She chuckled.

"And you mother still hasn't forgiven me for getting blood all over her favourite dish cloth!" Kieran said indignantly. The girls laughed.

"Only Irish women have favourite dish clothes." Sadie laughed as the car slowed to a stop.

"Here we are then." Kieran announced before making a very obvious gesture of looking out his window, suddenly finding something outside incredibly interesting. Effy looked out the window. Yeah, she was home. She would have to get out of the car now; she couldn't make any more excuses.

"Alright then, this is my stop." She said glumly. "Thanks for the great party Sadie. It was really nice meeting you." Her eyes twinkled slyly and she emphasised the word really.

"You too." Sadie smiled. She wanted to kiss her but she knew she shouldn't. For a second she could have sworn she saw Kieran spying in the wing mirror. Effy opened the door and stepped out. She turned around and looked back at Sadie.

"I'll see you later then." She said glumly. She felt this over whelming urge to kiss her goodbye.

"Yeah, you will." Sadie replied in a sultry tone. Effy bit her lips as though she was considering saying something else but she just smiled and shut the door. Sadie watched her walk up the path and disappear inside her house. Kieran started the car again and Sadie climbed into the front seat. He gave her a knowing uncle look, like he was about to have the same conversation with her that Diarmuid had this morning.

"Don't." Sadie pre-empted him.

"What? I wasn't going to say anything." He dismissed her. He knew better than to patronise his niece.

"Listen though I do want to thank you for the party last night. It was just what Gina needed to loosen her up before the wedding. She's so stressed." He exclaimed.

"Women." Sadie rolled down her window and took out a cigarette. She smoked it slowly as her thoughts were consumed by the brunette she knew was too young and too unobtainable for her to be thinking about.

-

_Knock, knock._

Naomi broke away from Emily and looked at the door, wondering who it could be. She had thought they were alone.

"Naomi?" A thick Northern Irish accent called from the other side of the door. She shot Emily an apologetic look.

"Yeah, come in." She called back, fixing her hair and clothing.

"Oh sorry." He grimaced when he walked into the room. "Hiya Emily." He gave a small wave. He blushed slightly when he realised what he'd interrupted, he hadn't meant to, but if he didn't talk to Naomi soon he might explode.

"Hello." She sounded pleasant enough maybe she wasn't too pissed off about the interruption.

"So I talked to Sadie." He started trying not to sound too excited.

"And?" Naomi replied expectantly.

"And I couldn't get much out of her, but, I think she likes her." He smiled broadly.

"Really?" Naomi asked in a shocked tone. "Did she say that?"

"Well no. Not in so many words but I'm her brother I know these things." He said assuredly.

"I'm sorry but who are you talking about?" Emily interrupted.

"Sadie."

"Effy." They answered in unison.

"What?" Emily was more confused now than before.

"We think there's something going on between Sadie and Effy." Naomi filled her in quickly.

"I thought they looked a bit close this morning." She thought out loud. "And what, you two are gossiping about it?" She wrinkled her nose.

"No...we're...comparing notes." Diarmuid justified himself.

"I don't gossip." Naomi said indignantly. "I'm just...curious."

"And by the looks of things so is Effy." He jibed. Emily giggled.

"Anyway." Diarmuid said, his initial excitement fading he suddenly feeling like a third wheel. "I've said what I came to say so I'll leave you alone." He shuffled off out the door.

Almost 2 hours later Sadie and Kieran headed back to the house. Two hours of confirming bookings, paying deposits and running general errands. Sadie lay back in the car on the way home.

"Jesus Bristol has a lot of hills." She groaned. "I feel like I've exercised."

"God forbid." Kieran laughed at his niece. "Do you think your brother is feeling any better?"

"Probably. What time is it?"

"Quarter past 5. Jesus I didn't think it was that late." He frowned.

"Quarter past 5...I bet you a fiver when we arrive home he'll be sitting on the couch or in the kitchen in a pair of tracksuit bottoms eating a bowl of tuna." She held out her hand.

"You're on." He said shaking her hand. It was a foolish bet; she was far too specific for it all to be right. Sadie laughed to herself. _'Easy money!' _She thought.

"Honey I'm home." Kieran called when they entered the house. There was no response.

"Told you!" Sadie smirked and pointed at her brother who was in fact sitting in the living room, wearing tracksuit bottoms with a bowl of tuna and a fork. "You owe me a fiver." She smirked at her uncle.

"How could you even know that?" He was shocked.

"I live with him. And my dear brother with a hangover is nothing if not predictable. You could set your watch by him." She chuckled and threw her legs over the side of the armchair.

"I've been swindled." He huffed, putting his hand in his pocket to retrieve her winnings.

"Jesus Kieran I was joking." She laughed. She wasn't actually going to con her uncle.

"No, you won the bet." He wasn't going to back out on a bet.

"Tell you what just buy me a drink sometime." She offered.

"Alright." He agreed.

"Hey Naomi, have you seen your mother?" He asked the blonde as she and Emily appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Eh...I think she's in the shower." Naomi shrugged. "We have that final dress fitting later."

"Alright then. I best be making dinner then." He sighed. "Emily are you staying for dinner?"

"No Kieran I have to go now thanks though." She smiled at him as he nodded and headed to the kitchen.

"It was really nice meeting you guys." She said to Sadie and Diarmuid.

"Yeah you too." Sadie smiled at the red head, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Hopefully next time I won't be quite so close to death." Diarmuid grimaced. Naomi walked her to the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, good luck at the dress fitting...try not to complain too much." Emily hugged her girlfriend.

"I'm not promising anything." Naomi said childishly.

"Naomi." Emily said in a warning tone.

"Alright." She groaned. "I'll text you later then."

"Bye." Emily said giving her girlfriend a peck on the cheek.

"Bye." Naomi called after her. She went back into the living room and sat down beside Diarmuid. Kieran returned from the kitchen and sat down with a satisfied sigh.

"What's for dinner then?" Naomi asked him.

"Pizza!" He grinned and held up the phone. They all laughed.

-

"But I told you to _make_ dinner." Gina argued with Kieran when the pizza arrived.

"I _made_ a phone call to the pizza place." He smiled innocently.

"You're lucky we're in a hurry to get to this dress fitting." She scolded him, she wasn't really mad, just stressed. She smiled and helped herself to a slice of pizza.

"You almost ready to go?" She asked Naomi who had her mouth full of pizza. She nodded, un-amused. Gina checked her watch for the twentieth time and nodded.

"Let's get going." She went into the kitchen to get the car keys.

"Oh Sadie, do you want to come with us? It's the final dress fitting, might be a bit boring but it'll be better than sitting here with these two." She offered.

"And miss the chance to see Naomi in a dress, no way." Sadie laughed. She felt kind of special being included in such an important pre-wedding event.

"You two going to be alright here by yourselves?" Gina asked before they headed out.

"I'm sure we'll manage." Kieran replied dryly.

Alone in the house with no women present the men were in their element. They sprawled out on the couches with their leftover pizza watching crap TV that they would never been allowed to watch if the girls were home.

"So how are things at home?" Kieran asked his nephew, this was the first chance he'd had to have a proper conversation with the boy since he arrived.

"Ah grand, you know." He shrugged. "Dad's still working away. Mum volunteers the odd time, when she feels like it. She's in her element with Aiden in the house though." He smiled. "She has also taking up recreational decorating." He informed his uncle.

"What the fuck is recreational decorating?" Kieran asked utterly confused.

"It's decorating as a hobby." Diarmuid informed him. "She's taken to randomly redecorate different rooms in the house. She's doing Da's head in with it. She's never done asking him to go to B&Q with her." He laughed.

"I see." Kieran rolled his eyes. That definitely sounded like something his sister would do.

"What about you? How's work?" He asked.

"It's the same." Diarmuid informed him somewhat bleakly.

"Still havin' problems with yer man then?" Kieran frowned.

"Yeah, he's still pretty much being a bastard." He half laughed.

"You know my offer still stands." Kieran reminded him. He had a sneaking suspicion the impending wedding was the only reason his nephew had declined.

"Thanks. And I have been thinking about it. I'm just...not sure yet." He smiled at his uncle.

"What about your sister then? How's she been coping with...everything?" He asked, knowing he'd get an honest answer from Diarmuid.

"She's doing great actually." He nodded. "You know Sadie; she just gets on with things."

"And she can turn her hand to anything." Kieran added.

"Yeah. She's doing better than everyone expected I think. Though we'd never tell her that." He said with a slight look of fear in his eyes.

"Oh God no. At least not those of us who enjoy having functioning genitalia." He joked. Now all the serious talk was over they were able to sit back and enjoy the rest of their free time in the house.

It was an early night all round for the residents of the Campbell household. Everyone slept soundly all of them thoroughly exhausted from a hard day's hangover.


	9. There's a lot you don't know about me

The next morning Sadie woke up early and busied herself in the kitchen. It wasn't long before the smell of her cooking wafted through the house rousing the rest of its inhabitants. Sadie was dancing around and singing quietly to herself when Gina tapped her on the shoulder and scared her out of her skin.

"Holy shit." She gasped as he heart beat wildly in her chest.

"Sorry." Gina looked extremely apologetic. "What's all this?"

"Breakfast." Sadie smiled, her nerves settling.

"The most important meal of the day." Kieran stated, though being a true Irish man he believed all his meals carried equal importance.

"Sadie made breakfast?" Diarmuid said excitedly. "Unbelievable. Sadie makes the best breakfast!" He informed Naomi who was still half asleep with her blonde hair sticking up in all directions. She grunted in response.

"It's nothing special. Just some French toast and some fried soda and potato bread...that's fat Irish bread to you two." She pointed to Gina and Naomi with her utensil. "I figured you'd have missed it." She smiled at her uncle who was looking at her like he was about to cry.

Sadie plated up the food and they all sat down at the table. No one spoke for a few minutes as they hungrily attacked the food on their plates.

"This is great!" Kieran exclaimed enthusiastically. He hadn't had potato bread in ages. It just didn't taste the same in Bristol.

"You weren't lying when you said you were talented in the kitchen." Naomi said, the food bringing her out of her zombie like state.

"I wasn't lying about my other talents either." Sadie replied cheekily, winking at the girl. Everyone else just wondered what they were talking about.

"So what are you doing today?" Gina asked Naomi.

"Well since this is my last free day before all my time gets taken up by wedding stuff. So happy for you by the way." She smiled at her mum, although slightly insincerely. "Emily's coming round to hang out. Might go into town or something." She shrugged.

"That sounds nice." Gina smiled encouragingly. "What about you Dermot? Any plans?"

"Yes actually." He said to the surprise of his sister and uncle. "I'm meeting Cook for a pint later."

"Aw you have a man date." Sadie teased. He glared at her.

The rest of breakfast was filled with small talk and friendly banter. Kieran and Diarmuid graciously offered to do the dishes since Sadie had cooked them such a lovely breakfast. Naomi hurried off to have a shower and get dressed for Emily arriving. Sadie was lying on her airbed flicking through a magazine when the pair entered the room.

"Hi Sadie." Emily greeted her brightly.

"Hello Emily." Sadie smiled. "How are you?"

"Great thanks."

"And what are you two ladies at today? Probably waiting for me to leave so you can make mad, passionate love eh?" She laughed as she watched the two blush bright red. Naomi stammered a response which only made Sadie laugh even more. The message tone on Sadie's phone sounded.

'_**I'm outside. Come meet me. Effy x'**_

Sadie read the message and her eyes instinctively moved to the window.

"Well you won't have to wait too long because I'm away out." She informed them searching for her shoes and pulling them on.

"Where are you going?" Naomi demanded, her curiosity winning out over her manners.

"Out." Sadie said simply, watching the intrigue eat away at the blonde girl.

"Out where?" She pressed. She had a feeling Effy was involved in this outing.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that curiosity killed the cat Naomi?" Sadie chuckled. "Bye." She called back over her shoulder, leaving the blonde looking bewildered and annoyed that she hadn't received any answers to her questions.

"Where is she going?" She asked Emily.

"I don't know." Her girlfriend looked at her like she had gone crazy.

"I bet she's going to meet Effy." Naomi theorised.

"Maybe she is, so what?" Emily shrugged. Naomi huffed. Why didn't Emily care more about this?

"Naomi." She sang her name, snaking her arms around the blonde's shoulders. "I think you're missing the most important thing here."

"What?" She asked, wondering had she missed a hint or something.

"We're alone." Emily said slowly. Naomi looked around the room and laughed at her own stupidity.

"Oh yeah." She smirked and moved into claim Emily's lips.

Sadie stopped at the bottom of the drive and took out her phone and typed a message laughing to herself as she did. She looked up and saw Effy leaning on a wall across the road.

"This is a pleasant surprise." Sadie said in a sultry tone when she crossed the road. Effy shrugged.

"Thought you might want to do something other than play third wheel with Naomi and Emily."

"They are a sickeningly cute couple." Sadie agreed. "So what are we going to do then?"

"I don't know." She shrugged as they started to walk aimlessly down the road.

"Jesus Eff, you invite a girl out on a date and you don't even know where you're taking her?" Sadie huffed indignantly.

"I figured we could just walk around. I'll show you Bristol. And if that fails we can always just go to my house." Effy suggested. Sadie shrugged but noted the fact that she didn't deny the date comment.

"Sounds like a plan."

Up in Naomi's room a text message interrupted their kiss. It was from Sadie. Naomi opened it and shook her head laughing.

"What?" Emily asked, wondering what had torn her from her lips. Naomi held out her phone for her to read the message.

'_**I don't care what you do, just don't do it in my bed =]' **_

Emily laughed as well.

Sadie and Effy walked along the streets towards the park. Effy wracked her brain trying to figure out where she could take her or what sights she should show her finally deciding on the highest hill in the park that over looked the city. They sat down on the grass in the late August sunshine and stretched out. Sadie sat for a moment taking in the sight. It really was incredible, the entire city of Bristol seemed to roll out before her eyes. She turned to look at Effy who was lying on the grass looking at the clouds, her bare legs as long as Bristol and she felt torn as to which sight was more breath taking.

"Spliff?" Effy offered when she caught Sadie looking at her.

"Alright." Sadie shrugged. Effy pulled a perfectly rolled joint out of a cigarette tin and sparked up. She inhaled deeply from it before passing it to Sadie. She wasn't smoking half the amount on weed that she used to and she hadn't touched any other drugs since she came back to Bristol.

"Wow!" Sadie breathed after another draw from the spliff. "I haven't smoked this stuff in 2 years." She mused, feeling her head start to rush already. Effy nodded but didn't ask any questions. They sat quietly enjoying each other's company as they lay back want watched the few clouds pass in the sky. They lay so close together Effy could feel the warmth from Sadie's arm radiate towards her own. The hairs on her arms rose in response to their proximity.

"Eff?" Sadie finally broke the silence tuning her head to face the younger girl.

"Yeah." Effy turned her face so their blue eyes now locked.

"Why did you ask me to come out today? Truth!" She wondered. Effy looked thoughtful for a minute. She had no idea what had possessed her to get up this morning, leave her house and head towards Naomi's. She had just woken up this morning with a yearning to see the red headed Irish girl who seemed to have taken up permanent residency in her thoughts.

"I don't know." She shrugged and bit her lip nervously before continuing. "I just wanted to see you." She looked back up to the sky, not wanting Sadie to see the vulnerability she was certain was showing in her eyes. Sadie returned her own eyes to the sky before muttering.

"I'm glad." So quietly Effy wasn't even sure she had said it. She moved her hand to cover Effy's and felt the brunette lace her fingers through hers. Laying there in that park in Bristol away from everything and everyone else it just felt so right. It felt like there was nothing else. But they both knew there was and the tension of words left unspoken for too long began to bubble up between them. Both of them thought hard, trying to organise their thoughts and feelings into semi logical sentences while working up the courage to speak up. Sadie took a deep breath and leant up on her elbow. It was now or never.

"Effy..." She began.

"I like you." The brunette blurted out, looking more shocked than Sadie at the outburst.

"I like you too." Sadie replied honestly, though with sadness in her eyes that didn't go unnoticed by Effy.

"No." Effy interrupted firmly. "You don't get it. I don't usually _like_ people. Hearts are fragile things you see. And I've seen too many people get theirs broken. That's why I try not to let anyone near mine. That's why I run away from people who think they love me and fuck up anyone's life that is stupid enough to get close to me." She was speaking from the heart. She couldn't quite believe she was opening up to Sadie, a girl she'd only known for a few days, in a way she'd never opened up to anyone else.

"And then there's you." She sighed, feeling a little confused. "I hardly know you but I like you. I like you, like you. And I'm not afraid of it." She shrugged finally lifting her eyes from the grass to look in Sadie's blue ones. Sadie blinked sadly, wishing it could all be that simple.

"I really like you too Eff but it's complicated." She sighed. "I'm almost 3 years older than you and there's a lot you don't know about me!"

"Like what?" Effy scoffed.

"Like I have a kid." Sadie spat it out and watched it linger in the air as the words sank into Effy's brain. She bit her lip nervously waiting for the younger girl's reaction. She watched as Effy looked thoughtful for a minute, not scared, but confused maybe.

"I thought you were gay?" She sounded more curious than anything else.

"I am gay. It's complicated. Long story." Sadie frowned looking defeated. She waited for Effy to run for the hills and come up with some excuse to leave. Why did things have to be so complicated? Effy looked at her with those crystal blue eyes and lay down on her side. Resting her head on her elbow she smiled slightly.

"Tell me it." She said softly. There was no recognisable fear or judgement in her voice just curiosity and reassurance. Anyone who knew the brunette wouldn't have recognised the girl lying in the grass.

"A few years ago I went a bit crazy, a bit off the rails." She began slowly, looking anywhere but in Effy's eyes. "The world got too much for me so I tried to shut it out with anything I could get my hands on. I would drink for days on end; I was taking all kinds of drugs, anything to make me feel numb. Then somehow I ended up pregnant." She drew a shaky breath and met the younger girl's eye for the first time. "I had no idea how or with how or anything."

She sounded so disappointed with herself. Effy reached across and squeezed her hand. Sadie managed a weak smile before continuing.

"It was the wakeup call I needed; I was so disgusted with what I'd become. I pulled myself together, I quit taking the drugs and got rid of all the losers I thought were my friends and tried to reconcile with the ones I'd pushed away. 7 months later I was lying in a hospital bed and this doctor walked in and handed me this tiny baby girl. And everything changed." Sadie chuckled slightly, smiling at the thought of her daughter. She looked apologetically at Effy who was also smiling. "I know I probably should have told you about this before, I should have told everyone but when people hear I'm a lesbian with a baby that's all they see. I came here for a holiday and I didn't want to deal with all the stares and questions. I'm a terrible person, aren't I?"

She felt Effy's soft lips press against hers and she couldn't help but smile into the kiss.

"You're not put off by this at all?" Sadie asked incredulously when they broke apart. "Freaked out? Trying to think of an excuse to leave?"

"No. I don't know maybe I should be...but I'm not." She shrugged. "And the fact that you have a kid doesn't make me like you any less." She rolled her eyes and laughed at the older girl who looked slightly relieved.

"Besides I can kind of relate to what you were going through. I've gone off the rails myself a couple of times. The first time my brother pulled me out of it. But then he left and my parents split up and I felt like everything around me was falling apart. I spent weeks getting drunk, getting stoned and fucking up other people's lives because I could. Eventually I ran away with Cook for a while. That didn't solve much but I realised it wasn't making me feel better. So we came back and I spent the next few weeks trying to rebuild all my relationships." She sighed. It was quite possibly the most she'd ever told anyone about herself.

"It's not easy, is it?" Sadie knew what she had gone through. Knowing Effy's story explained why she felt so drawn to her. She was just as broken as she was. It also explained why Effy was so mature for her age.

"It's fucking shit!" Effy replied. Sadie laughed and agreed. They both felt like a weight had been lifted when they released all that emotional baggage they'd been carrying.

"Tell me about her then." Effy encouraged as they lay back down on the grass, feeling a lot lighter, she curled into Sadie's side and rested her head on the red head's shoulder. Sadie's arm instinctively wrapped itself around her waist.

"The daughter?" Sadie said ominously. Effy giggled. "Her name is Aiden, she'll be 2 in October so she's just started walking and talking...I have a picture actually." She reached into her pocket with

Sadie used her free hand to pull her phone out of her pocket. "Here."

She passed the phone to Effy. A little girl with fair skin and red-almost-blonde curls smiled widely at her from the screen.

"She's cute." Effy said, meaning it and ordinarily she wasn't the type of person to find babies cute.

"Yeah, she is." Sadie smiled, this was the first time she'd talked about her daughter since she arrived. "She takes after her mum." She joked, attempting to shift the serious mood.

"Who told you that?" Effy teased.

"Oi!" Sadie slapped her arm. The pair laughed together for a minute. "You're still really interested after all this?" She couldn't stop herself from asking.

"Yes." Effy rolled her eyes. She wasn't about to repeat old mistakes and rum away from someone she felt something for at the first sign of complication. She genuinely wanted to see what this feeling she got when she thought about Sadie was.

"Well then there's only one thing left to do then isn't there?" Sadie strained her neck to look at Effy.

"What's that?" She replied in a know-it-all tone.

"Well there's this family wedding coming up on Saturday and I was wondering if you'd like to come with me?" She asked, fighting hard to keep her face straight.

"I'm already going to the wedding, dick." Effy playfully slapped Sadie in the stomach.

"That's alright then." Sadie pouted. "I can take rejection." She put on an exaggerated sad face. Effy laughed.

"Fine!" She exclaimed, rolling her eyes at the foolishness of it all. "I'll go to the wedding as your date."

"Great!" Sadie smiled. "Hang on a second I have to cancel my previous date." She joked.

"Shut up!" Effy halted her fooling around with a kiss. Sadie forgot all about whatever it was she was saying.

-

Diarmuid and Cook were sitting at a table in Uncle Keith's pub with two fresh pints sitting in front of them. There was a stereotypical old man sitting at the bar talking to himself over his whiskey while the barmaid stared at him willing him to leave so she wouldn't have to smell him anymore. A couple of dodgy looking guys were sitting in a booth on the back wall waiting for someone. And a pair of old ladies, who Cook had greeted as Vera and Maggie, were gossiping over a glass of dry white wine. Diarmuid felt strangely at home here.

"So how long are you in Bristol for?" Cook asked after a gulp of his pint that left the glass half empty.

"Hmm...There's a bit of a question mark over that." Cook looked at him confused. "I'm not sure yet."

"You should stay for a while, yeah!" Cook said enthusiastically. "You and that sister of yours know how to party. You're more than welcome to hang with me."

"Thanks." Diarmuid nodded at the young man. He reminded him of himself at 17.

"Seriously you should stay. Get to know us. I bet your sister would like that. I think she'd like to get to know Effy." Cook said suggestively laughing at himself. "I _know_ Effy." He couldn't help bragging it was just his nature.

"You listen to me fella." Diarmuid started in a hushed but hostile tone. "A word of warning before we go any further here. You be very careful about what you say about or to my sister. Because she's very important to me and when it comes to her I'm very, very protective, ok?" He gave Cook a curt nod, hoping he had gotten his message across.

"Alright man, alright. Relax." Cook held his hands up. Every man has his trigger and if you pull it they will snap, his was his mother and he had just found out Diarmuid's was his sister.

"I didn't mean anything by it I was just messing around. Anyway I meant less than nothing to her. She was going through a tough time and I kept her high so she fucked me." He explained. Diarmuid looked up at him.

"What?" He listened as Cook explained to him what had happened a few months ago. Diarmuid became even more concerned about his sister's 'relationship' with Effy.

"But that was months ago now and she hasn't been doing anything like that since we got back." Cook rambled, realising he might have said too much and needed to change the conversation fast.

"Do you want another one mate?" He pointed at the Irish man's pint.

"Aye go on then." He nodded, his mind still working out how he was going to approach Sadie with this information without seeming like he was interfering. Cook returned with their pints and sat down rubbing his hands.

"Now on to more important things...let's see this tiger then."

Diarmuid retrieved the sketch from his bag and gave it to him.

"You...are a very talented man!" Cook said looked exceptionally pleased with the sketch. "And you were serious about being able to do it for me?"

"I'm sure I can manage it." Diarmuid nodded. He would ask his mother to bring his kit when she was coming. He was looking forward to this. He loved the tiger design almost as much as Cook did.

"Magic!" The younger man grinned.

* * *

**A/N: ***deep breath in* Well what did you think of the twist in Sadie's tale? I know it's a bit of a stretch but I maintain stranger things have happened! I would really appreciate if you let me know what you think, love it or hate it, just press that green button and tell me!


	10. I'll show you mine

After who knows how many hours filled with stolen kisses and comfortable conversation in the park the wind started to pick up and the sun began to descend over the city. An involuntary shiver caused Effy to suggest they relocate to her house as they weren't quite ready to separate yet. She led the way to her house and pulled a key out of nowhere to let them in.

"Is that you love?" Anthea called from the kitchen when she heard the door open. Effy didn't reply but made her way towards the kitchen with Sadie in tow. "Where've you been? Did you have a good day? I had a rotten time at work. Fancy a cuppa?" She asked without a break.

"Oh hello." She said when she finally turned to look at her daughter and found her standing in the doorway with a strange red-head. Sadie smiled nervously at her.

"This is Sadie." Effy told her mother. "Sadie, this is my mum, Anthea."

"Oh so you're Sadie. Yes Effy told me about you. Do you want a cup of tea?" She smiled.

"Uh...sure thanks. No milk or sugar."

"So just...tea then?" Anthea wrinkled he nose at the thought but the Irish girl seemed quite certain.

"So what have you two been up to?" Anthea attempted to make small talk. She had been making a conscious effort to become more involved in her daughter's life, but still give her enough freedom to be Effy. She didn't want to let things get back to the way they were when Effy ran away. The house was deathly quiet and empty without her and Anthea didn't like it.

"Not much." Effy shrugged and lit up a cigarette. Sadie was mildly amazed. She was 20 and she still didn't like smoking in front of her mum never mind sparking up in the kitchen when she was 17. "Just hanging out." Effy smirked at Sadie, who reached over and stole her cigarette.

Anthea watched in amazement. If she so much as pinched one of Effy's cigarettes without first acquiring permission Effy raised sweet hell. She began to wonder what was so special about this girl and how she had managed to subdue her daughter.

"Well work was fucking shit today. Place is just full of bastards and people who don't know what they're doing. I was thinking we could get a takeout and a bottle of wine tonight? Cheer your old mum up." She suggested, passing mugs of tea to the two girls. Effy shrugged.

"What about you love? You fancy it?" She extended the invite to her daughter's new friend.

"Um...ok?" She shrugged looking to Effy for reassurance it was ok with her.

"Great well, I'll leave you two to it then, I'm off to watch the telly." She excused herself from the room.

"So that was your mum?" Sadie said when she was gone.

"Yup." Effy said flatly. "She was just being polite; you don't have to stay if you don't want to."

"I wouldn't mind staying actually." Sadie began. "That is if _you_ don't mind having me here."

"So you're staying then." Effy agreed.

"So what exactly did you tell your mum about me then?" Sadie asked with a cheeky smirk.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Effy replied, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

When they finished their tea they moved upstairs to Effy's bedroom. She pressed play on her CD player and a soft guitar melody played into the room providing ambient background music. Sadie stretched out on Effy's bed; it was a welcome change from the hard ground at the park.

"You know I've been thinking." Effy mused, turning from the CD player to look at her.

"Well that can't be good." Sadie joked but Effy chose to ignore it.

"I don't think it's fair that Naomi has seen your tattoos and I haven't. I mean we're...dating...no not dating. We're..." She drew a blank as to how to classify their relationship.

"Kissing buddies?" Sadie suggested, feeling playful after the heavy conversation in the park. Effy glared at her.

"Together." She prompted on a more serious note.

"Yeah I guess." She smiled nervously. "Anyway...I think it's only fair that I get to see them." She said decidedly. A sultry look on her face as she crossed the room.

"Are you a little jealous of Naomi, Eff?" Sadie smirked. Her eyes dancing with the same passion and anticipation as Effy's.

"Are you going to let me see them or not?" She pouted, not justifying Sadie's comment with a response. Sadie sighed and pushed herself up on the bed. Looking up at Effy she licked her lips and smiled devilishly.

"What's in it for me?" She raised her eyebrow suggestively.

"How about I'll show you mine if you show me yours?" The brunette countered. Sadie chuckled. This girl could flirt just as well as she could.

"Alright then." Sadie liked the sound of that. She pushed herself up off the bed and grabbed the bottom hem of her t-shirt. She was about to pull it over her head but stopped. She narrowed her eyes at Effy.

"You really don't care about my tattoos at all; this is just an excuse to perve on me isn't it?" Effy tried to look innocent as she feigned being shocked.

"Let's pretend I'm really into tattoos." She shrugged. Sadie laughed and pulled the t-shirt over her head. She stood before the younger girl in her jeans and a purple lacy bra with a soft blush creeping from her neck to her face. Effy looked at her appraisingly, saying nothing. Her eyes followed the chains of colourful flowers around her torso and took in the colourful butterflies that danced around them.

"Well?" Sadie prompted when the silence got too much for her.

"Very nice." Effy coughed unable to remove her eyes from the girl's body. Her mouth watering.

"Not bad for the body of someone who's had a child eh?" She was enjoying having Effy leer at her so obviously.

"Definitely not!" She agreed. She had to fight hard to resist the urge to jump the red head standing in front of her.

"Well I'm showed you mine..." Sadie's mouth salivated in anticipation. "Let's see yours!"

The brunette nervously chewed her lip. After seeing Sadie's impressive and detailed artwork she felt her stars paled considerably in comparison. But a deal was a deal.

"Well mine are rather shit compared to yours but I did promise so..." She grabbed her dress and pulled it over her head to reveal a black bra and three stars tattooed on her left side. Sadie nodded her appreciation for the sight of the slim brunette with no top on.

"Well you're young. You can work on it." She joked. "I'm sure my brother could work something out for you." She suggested. Her eyes explored Effy's milky white skin taking in the detail of every small freckle that led from her chest to the waistband of her tights. She wanted to use them as a trail to plant kisses on. They both stood staring at each other, lust pulsing through their veins in the form of hormones until they frantically jumped at each other. Their lips meeting for a hungry kiss.

Hands travelled over bare skin and through soft hair as their tongues battled for dominance. By some small miracle they found the bed and began fighting for dominance there. Nails dragged along exposed skin, teeth pulled at lips and their breathing became laboured.

-

"Do you think I should get a tattoo?" Naomi lay on top of her bed in her underwear staring at her bare midriff thoughtfully.

"What?" Emily looked at her, still quite dazed.

"A tattoo. Do you think I would look good with one?"

"I don't know." Emily shrugged, wondering where she had gotten this sudden idea from. "What kind of tattoo?"

"I don't know. A nice one." She rolled onto her side to face her girlfriend. "Sadie has like lots of tattoos and they're so nice." She proceeded to describe the Irish girl's tattoos in great detail.

"You've seen her naked?" Emily raised her eyebrow, an unintentional flash of jealously sparked in her eyes.

"No I saw her with not top on when she was getting changed." Naomi explained. "Dermot is a tattoo artist so she has loads. I think they look cool! Do you think I should get one?"

"If you want." Emily said dismissively. She knew she was being silly feeling jealous of Sadie but she couldn't help it. Naomi looked a little dejected at Emily's lack of response.

"Would you ever get one?" She asked, hoping it would spur the conversation forward.

"I don't know maybe. I don't know if I could pick something that I'd want to have on my body for the rest of my life." She mused.

"I never thought of it like that." Naomi shrugged then giggled.

"What?"

"I just imagined what it'd be like when Sadie's an old woman. Seriously Ems she's covered in them."

Emily forced a smile. "She's certainly made an impression on you hasn't she?"

"What?" Naomi didn't quite understand what the tone Emily had used implied. "Well yeah. She's great. She's funny and she knows stuff and easy to talk to. It's kind of nice having someone else in the house who isn't a hippy or a scrounger. She's kind of like family. I never had anything like that before." She shrugged, not liking how vulnerable she felt at that moment in time. Emily instantly felt bad for her slight jealousy. Sometimes she forgets that Naomi is an only child. As much as Katie and James get on her nerves, she couldn't imagine what it would be like living without them.

"That's nice." She smiled again, this time it was genuine.

-

Sadie and Effy had been making out in her room for almost an hour when Anthea shouted to them that she had returned with the Indian food and wine. Sadie almost had a heart attack as she jumped off Effy, and the bed, completely.

"What was that for? My mum's not going to come up here." Effy pouted missing her kisses.

"So? She might!" Sadie said nervously looking for her t-shirt.

"So what if she does? She's not going to say anything." Effy shrugged, pulling her dress back on over her head and tidying her hair.

"You don't know that Effy." She sighed, it was clear she'd been burned by a past experience. "And I doubt your mum would be too thrilled to hear you're getting involved with someone 3 years older than you who has a child and might be leaving at the end of the week." She added.

"Might be leaving?" That was the only part Effy had heard.

"Yeah, well..." Sadie thanked God when Anthea shouted again for them to hurry up. "Can we just go downstairs, please?" She smiled sweetly.

Effy gave Sadie a look that told her they would finish their conversation later then a quick kiss on the lips before taking her hand and leading the way downstairs.

"So are you enjoying your time in Bristol?" Anthea asked.

At Anthea's request they watched the soaps as they ate their food and drank their wine. For the first time in a long time the atmosphere in the Stonem house was pleasant and relaxed. Effy leaned back in her seat and thought about this as she sipped her wine.

"Shit is that the time?" Sadie gasped when the end credits of the Bill rolled on the screen. "I should get going!" She stretched in her seat preparing to get home.

"Really?" Effy sounded dismayed.

"You can stay longer if you like. Stay all night even." Anthea offered; Effy looked at her suggestively.

"No I really should get going. Tomorrow's the day of all the big rehearsals for the wedding. It'll be an early start." She smiled. If she stayed here tonight she didn't think she would be able to control herself around Effy; it was hard enough to stick to just kissing her earlier. "I hope you're going to walk me back to Naomi's." She said, nudging Effy in the side.

"You would think so, wouldn't you?" She teased.

"Well I've had a bit to drink and I'm not from here I might get lost, then what would you do?" Sadie replied flirtatiously, forgetting Anthea's presence for a second.

"Alright then, but only this once." She said in a warning tone. They pulled on their shoes and Sadie retrieved her jacket from Effy's bedroom.

"It was really nice meeting you Sadie." Anthea said, shocking everyone in the room by giving the red head a hug; perhaps she'd had a little too much wine.

"You too Mrs Stonem." Sadie returned the hug with trepidation.

"Anthea!" She slapped the girl's arm. "Call me Anthea, love."

"Alright...Anthea...I'll see you later."

"Bye." She called as the girls left.

"I think she likes me." Sadie joked in the hallway. Effy glared at her.

It was dark outside and the stars stood out in the navy blue sky, which was currently cloud free. It was a beautiful night. Sadie felt Effy silently link their fingers as they walked the short distance to Naomi's house. They didn't say much during the walk, they had said all they needed to, now it was just a matter of seeing where their feelings for each other might take them.

When they reached the top of Naomi's street Sadie stood face to face with Effy.

"Thanks for today. You were right it was a lot better than playing third wheel with Naomi and Emily." She smiled. Effy looked deep into Sadie's blue eyes and smiled. She leaned in and placed a gentle lingering kiss on her lips.

"Goodnight." She whispered when she broke away.

"Goodnight." Sadie whispered as Effy turned and walked away. She knew she must have been grinning like an idiot when she made her way up the Campbell's driveway and knocked the door.

Gina and Kieran were curled up on the sofa watching the television, Sadie saw them through the curtains before Kieran got up to let her in; they looked rather cute together.

"Alright then, where've you been?" He asked his niece trying his hardest to sound stern. She laughed at his pitiful attempt.

"Out." She smiled innocently at him.

"Did you have fun?"

"I did actually." She continued to smile. If she didn't stop soon he'd know something was up.

"Well that's good then." He said approvingly and returned to the living room.

"I'm going upstairs." She shouted into the living room. "Goodnight."

She knocked Naomi's bedroom door before entering.

"It's ok, Emily's gone." Naomi informed her as she stuck her head through the door. Sadie nodded.

"Did you have _fun _today?" Sadie smirked as Naomi blushed.

"Did _you_?" Naomi threw back at her.

"Yes Naomi I had a lovely afternoon thanks for asking." Sadie smiled at her and headed to the bathroom to change. She hummed to herself while she brushed her teeth. She was still humming and grinning like an idiot when she left the bathroom and bumped into her brother in the hall.

"What has you so happy?" He asked suspiciously.

"Do I need a reason?" She faked indignation.

"Yes." He replied flatly. "Where were you today anyway? Naomi said you went out."

"Yeah, I was out." She avoided his question.

"You were out with Effy weren't you?" He already knew the answer.

"As a matter of fact I was." Sadie said in a blunt tone.

"Listen Sade, I know I said I wasn't going to interfere but Cook told me some stuff today that I think you should know." He braced himself for the wrath of his sister. He hated himself for ruining her happiness.

"I know." She said softly.

"You know?" He was confused.

"I know Effy was messed up for a while...the same way I was messed up for a while." She said pointedly. "I know she ran away with Cook, I know she fucked him and Freddie too. I know all of this. We talked this afternoon." She told him calmly.

"You know." He felt a bit relieved this meant he didn't have to be the bearer of bad news. "You talked? Did you tell her about your experience?" He asked feeling a little shocked she'd opened up to this girl so soon.

"Yes. And I told her about Aiden. And we're not going to judge her because she made some mistakes, are we?" She stressed her point.

"No." He said sincerely. He knew his sister had made many of the same mistakes Effy had and she had made it out a better person.

"Good because I wouldn't want there to be any tension between you and my date for the wedding." She slipped it into the conversation. He looked shocked briefly then very concerned. Sadie rolled her eyes; she was shocked at how little her brother thought of her sometimes.

"Yes I have thought about this. Thanks for the concern big brother but I'm looking out for myself. Do you really think I'd do something like this without thinking?" She raised her eyebrow at him.

"No." He said honestly.

"And don't you want me to be happy? Even if it's just for a little while?" She gave him the sad eyes.

"Of course I do!"

"Good. Now will you let me be excited and be happy for me? Even just a little bit." He smiled at his sister. Sometimes he didn't give her enough credit. She really knew how to handle herself.

"Ok." He sounded like a petulant child.

"Thank you." That grin found its way back to her face again. Diarmuid had to admit it was nice to see her smile. "Goodnight Derm-Derm." She said heading towards Naomi's room.

"Goodnight."

"Oh and Diarmuid." She called back over her shoulder. "Not a word of this to Naomi!" She warned him, knowing very well the two had already been gossiping about her. His mouth fell open like he was going to deny it.

"I want to be the one who gets to see the look on her face." Sadie laughed playfully and walked away. He stood on the spot for a minute thinking his sister knew him far too well before shaking his head and going into his room.


	11. Do sweat shop workers get smoke breaks?

Thursday morning arrived with a very unpleasant and early wakeup call from Gina. She stood outside banging the door, repeatedly shouting that she wasn't going to stop until they came to the door.

"Come on!" She said enthusiastically. "We've got a lot to do today."

They walked groggily out into the hall where two grumpy Irish men stood scowling. Gina seemed oblivious to their foul moods.

"Just...humour her...please." Kieran pleaded; his voice still hoarse from sleep. There were three pissed off sighs from the younger clan members as they turned on their heels to get dressed.

Though clothed, they were no more awake when they gathered in the kitchen to receive their instructions. Naomi's head was propped up by her arm and she had this glazed over look in her eyes. Sadie sat beside her stretched out in her chair fighting with her eyes to keep them open and looking quite cross while Diarmuid had fallen back to sleep with his head in his arms.

"Alright then." Gina began far too cheerfully for this early hour. "With the rest of your lot arriving tomorrow we have to do all the final preparation stuff today...so first of all we have to go to the church for a run through with the priest. Then Kieran and Dermot I need you to go collect the cake from the bakers while we finish making the last of the wedding favours then we need to bring the whole lot to the reception hall. On the way back here we have to pick up our dresses and bring them back here. I think that might be it." She mused. "I'm sure I've forgotten something." Her brow furrowed with concentration.

"I'm sure it'll come to you." Kieran spoke softly and chose his words carefully. The last thing he wanted to do was set her off today. "We better get going." He ushered them all out to the car, it was a pretty tight squeeze fitting them all in but they got there in the end and not one of them dared complain.

The church was unbearably cold, as all churches are, while they waited for an elderly priest with a mass of untamed white hair to greet them. He began to talk about what would happen at the start of the ceremony and showed Naomi how she should walk down the aisle. Sadie's message tone sounded and echoed in the transepts.

"Sorry." She cringed as the priest shook his head and made a disapproving noise then returned to showing Naomi the precise pace she should use. Priests had a habit of staring disapprovingly at Sadie; it was like they could smell the lesbian on her. She opened the message anyway to see what was so important.

'**I hope you're happy, my mum won't stop going on about how lovely you are. She's doing my head in! What are you doing? Effy x'**

Sadie sniggered to herself when she read the message and replied.

'**In a church getting glared at by a priest, think he senses the gay in me! Can't wait to get out of here. What you doing? X' **

"Sadie, a word?" Kieran's voice made her jump.

"I'm sorry, I've turned it off now." She said defensively.

"Oh I don't give a shit about that." He waved his hand dismissively. "No I wanted to ask you something...Gina and I were talking last night and she thought, and I agree, that it would be nice if Aiden walked up the aisle before Naomi. Kind of like a flower girl type thing." He struggled to explain something that Gina had made sound so simple last night. The suggestion caught Sadie off guard and rendered her more emotional than she thought.

"She wouldn't have to do anything only walk, what do you think? Would she be up for it?" Sadie was choked up that they were including her daughter in their wedding party. She coughed to clear the lump in her throat.

"If you're asking me _can_ she do it, yes. But I can't make any promises that she _will_ do it in a calm and orderly fashion." She chuckled, her daughter was quite spirited like herself and didn't like being told how to do things.

"She can go buck wild if she wants to." He smiled lovingly at his niece. "That's brilliant Gina will be so pleased."

"So will Aiden." Sadie smiled and hugged her uncle. "Thanks."

"No problem." He hurried off to tell Gina she'd said yes. She was at the altar with the priest and Naomi listening to him run through the order of the service.

"Sade." Diarmuid called to her in an urgent tone. "The priest is only after giving me a very detailed explanation of what responsibilities I will have as best man. I didn't have the heart to tell him I'm not the best man." Sadie laughed. "It's not funny." He hissed.

"You think you have it bad I have to convince Aiden to walk down the aisle in front of Naomi tomorrow, without messing around." He looked at her wide eyed.

"You're right you do have it worse." He agreed. "So they asked Aiden to be flower girl."

"Yes, sort of I don't think they want to put too fine a point on it cause it's sort of last minute but it was still really nice of them to involve her."

"Yeah it was."

"Listen I think we should talk again about...you know what we discussed before we left home." She started seriously.

"Yeah I do too."

"Get me out of here!" Naomi cried frantically, running up to them and halting any further discussion. "I swear to God...no pun intended...I have never wanted a cigarette so badly in my life." She said melodramatically.

"Come on." Sadie ushered her out of the church like it was a real emergency and offered her a Marlboro light.

"I hate churches. And priests, for that matter." Naomi groaned, breathing deeply from the cigarette. Sadie lit one for herself.

"It can't be much longer now. At this rate the practise is going to last longer than the actual wedding." Sadie joked looking up at Naomi from the screen of her phone.

"It better be." Naomi spat her voice loaded with hostility.

"Whoa! Calm down." Sadie held he hands up to the angry lesbian beside her. "You are really not a morning person are you?" She laughed and put her arm round the blonde girl.

Naomi remained sullen looking.

"Come on Naomi it's your mum's big day at least act like you don't hate the entire world right now."

"I don't see why I have to be here though. I know how to walk. I pretty much mastered that skill when I was 2!" She huffed.

"Ok a different approach then. Put a smile on your face or I'm going to text Emily and tell on you." She smirked. Naomi glared at her trying to figure out if it was an empty threat or if Sadie would actually go through with it. She probably would. Gina, Kieran and Diarmuid walked out of the chapel doors beside them. Naomi forced a smile; it wasn't very convincing but it was enough Sadie thought.

"Come on we have things still to do." Gina smiled, putting her arm around her daughter as they walked to the car.

-

While the boys went into town to pick up the cake Naomi and Sadie got stuck finishing wedding favours while Gina made phone calls.

"I feel like I'm working in a bridal sweat shop." Naomi complained as she fiddled with the infuriatingly small ribbon she was trying to tie.

"We should have volunteered to get the cake." Sadie sighed. "I would have walked there and back just to get out of this." Sadie's phone buzzed on the table, with her free hand she opened the text message and laughed. Naomi strained herself to read the message over upside down from the other side of the table. Sadie frowned at her.

"Oi! Don't be so rude. And I thought our Diarmuid was nosy." Sadie shook her head at the younger girl.

"Sorry. It's just that phone hasn't quit all day I was just wondering who was texting you." She tried to sound innocent. She let a moments silence pass. "Texting Effy then?" This was her chance.

"You know that's true you read the bloody message." Sadie reminded the younger girl that she was not stupid.

"So what's going on there?" Naomi asked.

"What do you mean?" Sadie asked, wondering just how much her brother had told her.

"I mean do you like her? Has anything happened between you? I know you went out to meet her yesterday! I'm not stupid." Naomi pouted.

"No you're definitely not stupid." Sadie agreed. "I don't know Naomi it's complicated." She sighed.

"Because you live in Ireland?" Naomi asked.

"No, it's complicated because of Aiden." Sadie let it out and let Naomi in. Honestly she was glad to talk to someone about the whole situation who was not her brother. She also hoped Naomi would be able to give her some insight into what Effy might be thinking.

"Aiden?" The blonde girl looked confused. "Who's Aiden?"

"Aiden is...my daughter." Sadie told her.

"Your daughter?" Naomi repeated.

"Yes." Sadie waited for the news to sink in and the inevitable questions.

"But you're gay." She said it like it was a statement.

"Long story. Condensed version; I went a little wild a few years ago and ended up pregnant with no idea how."

"Wow." Naomi didn't judge her; she was just shocked she hadn't mentioned it sooner. "Where is she now?"

"At home. My mum agreed to look after her so I could have a bit of a break." Sadie explained.

"But she's coming to the wedding?"

"Yeah she's in the wedding actually." Sadie chuckled.

"Flower girl." Naomi muttered remembering Gina mentioning something about it to Kieran.

"Yeah. I know I probably should have mentioned this before but I just wanted to come here and have some fun without being the lesbian with the baby oddity that I am at home you know. Does that make me a bad person?" Sadie asked, feeling a bit upset with herself.

"No!" Naomi said softly, reaching out to squeeze the red head's hand. "Not at all."

Sadie looked up at her and smiled.

"That does make things a bit complicated though doesn't it?" Naomi laughed.

"I didn't plan for this thing with Effy to happen!" Sadie sighed. "It just sort of did. I don't think either of us could have stopped it."

"Does Effy know you have a daughter?"

"Yeah I told her yesterday." Sadie bit her lip.

"And what did she say?"

"She said she still liked me." Sadie shrugged, she wasn't sure if it was true.

"Effy said she liked you?" Naomi sounded more shocked at this than the news that Sadie had a baby. Sadie nodded.

"Wow." Naomi struggled to get her head around it.

"That doesn't make things any less complicated though." Sadie sighed, dropping a completed favour into the pile with the rest.

"Look, Sadie, I don't know what's going on between you and Effy and I don't claim to have any insight into what that girl thinks sometimes." She began thoughtfully. "But I can tell you that if she said she likes you she must _really_ like you. She's not the type of person who just says things like that you know."

"She doesn't seem like the kind of girl to have crushes." Sadie half laughed, she had to find humour in the situation. "Ah Christ Naomi...what have I gotten myself into?" She sighed.

"It's not _that _bad." Naomi rolled her eyes; and people said she was melodramatic. "In its simplest form you like someone who also likes you."

"Maybe. What do you think Naomi, could it work?" She seemed to be considering the question herself. Naomi shrugged.

"Got as good a chance as anyone." She smiled, Sadie smiled back.

"Well no time to dwell on that now, we've got like a hundred more of these fiddly things to do." She rubbed her hands and got back down to work.

When Kieran and Diarmuid arrived home the girls were justifiably hostile towards them; they had definitely stretched out what should have been a quick and simple trip to the bakers.

"It's about time." Sadie sniped at them when they came through the door.

"What crawled up your arse?" Diarmuid was taken aback by the hostility. "When we left you were bright and cheery."

"You can't be cheerful when you work in a sweat shop." Naomi informed him with a serious nod.

"Sit down and help us." Sadie instructed them.

"Where's Gina?" Kieran asked looking for his scapegoat.

"On the phone." Naomi told him. He moved towards the door. "And she's not to be disturbed." She added with a sadistic smile. Sadie kicked out the chair that her feet had been resting on.

"Sit down and grab a fiddly thing Kieran there's work to be done." Sadie gave an equally evil smile. He sighed and begrudgingly sat down. They worked together listlessly for a while none of them really wanting to be there.

"Do sweat shop workers get smoke breaks?" Naomi asked with a huff. All this wedding stuff was starting to stress her out.

"No but I'm led to believe they do earn a wage of some sort, no matter how small, so I think we're entitled to smoke breaks in lieu of that." Kieran reasoned. It was good enough to Naomi and Sadie as they practically leapt out of their seat to join him. Diarmuid was contemplating joining them when Gina reappeared from upstairs.

"Oh you're back." She smiled. She looked out the window at the trio of smokers and shook her head. "Look at them, slacking off out there leaving you to do all the work." She frowned.

He just nodded; he wasn't going to tell her that he hadn't actually done any of the work. She opened the back door and shouted out to them.

"When you lot have finished there we still have things to do." She raised an accusing eyebrow at them. They looked at each other and to the floor feeling like a group of 5 year olds who had just been chastised.

-

It had been a very long day; days always seemed longer when you got up early. Gina and Kieran had turned in for an early night, while Diarmuid had opted to fall asleep in front of the television. Sadie had treated herself to a much needed soak in a hot bath. When she died and dressed she found Naomi was lying stretched out on her bed looking thoroughly exhausted.

"Please tell me I don't have to get up early in the morning." She groaned when Sadie entered the room.

"Don't think so." She laughed. "I only have to get up to go to the airport...and even that's not till 10 or something."

"To pick up Aiden." Naomi rolled over on her side to face Sadie.

"To pick up Aiden." Sadie nodded.

"What's it like having a kid?" Naomi asked quizzically. Sadie settled into her airbed, lying on her side facing Naomi.

"It's...weird and kind of crazy." Sadie mused. "I mean one day I was a typical teenager living to get drunk and piss about with my mates and then the next thing they hand you this tiny person who is completely dependent on you for everything. It totally changes your life. But I wouldn't change it. I love her."

"Wow." Naomi breathed. She couldn't even imagine what it must have been like for Sadie.

"Add to that the fact that you are 100% lesbian and you've got one fucking strange situation." She laughed, as did Naomi. "So what does Emily think of my situation?" She wondered.

"What?...I..." Naomi stammered, afraid she'd betrayed a confidence.

"Naomi she's your girlfriend...I have had a couple in my time, I know how it works...I know you must have told her. I wouldn't expect you not to." Sadie reassured the younger girl. "Besides I think she might have noticed the toddler calling me mummy at the wedding." She joked to relieve the situation.

"Good point." Naomi laughed. "She's flipping out over it. Lesbians having babies is a big deal to her. She's 1000% supportive. Says she can't wait to meet her."

"She might regret that." Sadie laughed.

"I'm just worried Aiden will make her broody!" Naomi joked.

"Well she is adorable." Sadie shrugged.

"You have to say that, you're mum." Naomi teased.

"Oi!" Sadie huffed indignantly, taking out her phone and shoving the screensaver in Naomi's face. "You tell me that baby isn't cute." Naomi looked at the little curly haired girl pouting for the camera and couldn't help but smile.

"She is gorgeous." She had to admit. "You have a message by the way." She added handing the phone back to its owner. "I wonder who it's from." Naomi said sarcasm oozing from her words.

"Shut up!" Sadie rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at Naomi's head. "Hey if Emily's so keen on babies maybe you two could babysit for me sometime." Sadie suggested, subtly changing the subject.

"You'll only be here for a few days. I don't think she's keen enough to fly to Ireland just to babysit." Naomi laughed. Sadie made a face. "Unless you're going to be here for more than a few days. Are you staying for longer?" She asked putting two and Sadie's face together.

"Kieran's right you are very perceptive." Sadie said thoughtfully.

"And you're avoiding the question." Naomi challenged. Sadie sighed. Truth be told there was a part of her that wanted to tell Naomi and discuss it with her because she was so excited.

"Maybe." She tried to remain strong under questioning. "I can't tell you anything for certain at the minute."

"What? That's not fair! You can't say something like that and then not explain it!" The blonde huffed. Sadie just shrugged. Naomi let out a frustrated growl.

"Well I'm sure we could babysit...I mean...you and Effy will want some alone time together, wont you?" She smirked, knowing she wouldn't get any information out of Sadie.

"Less of it Campbell." Sadie glared at her.

"What I thought you looked very cute together the other night." She said innocently. Sadie rolled her eyes and pretended not to hear her.

"Can I have my pillows back please?"


	12. Irish people like tea

"Let's go!" Sadie said excitedly as she jumped in the passenger seat of Kieran's car with a piece of toast in hand.

"You're not allowed to eat in the car." He informed her. She laughed in his face.

"Fuck off this thing is a piece of shite, I'm pretty certain the toast is of higher value."

"You're probably right." He chuckled. "Let's get moving! I can't wait to see my niece."

"Great-niece." She corrected him.

"Ach don't say that it makes me feel old!" He pouted. "Anyway, she was only a baby the last time I saw her. She must be really big now."

"Yeah, big and bold." Sadie snorted.

"She's not bad now is she?" He still found it strange to hear his 20 year old lesbian niece talking as a mother.

"No. She's just...spirited." Sadie chuckled. "She gets it from me...or so Anne-Marie would have you believe."

"Well she wouldn't take that after strangers." He agreed.

"No definitely not." She chuckled.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing though, I mean look at our Naomi...she's spirited but it just means she has a goal in life and she's going to achieve it." He mused.

Sadie noticed the paternal way in which he spoke about Naomi and smiled. They pulled into the airport car park and headed towards the arrivals lounge. Kieran stained his neck to look over the crowd to see the people disembarking from their flights, looking for his family.

"I wouldn't worry about it Kieran, we'll probably hear them before we see them." Sadie joked.

"Look there they are." A thick Northern Irish accent cut over the din. The woman sounded animated and excited.

"Mammy!" A high pitched voice cried out and a tiny red head bolted towards them.

"Told you." She poked her tongue out at her uncle and bent down to catch her daughter. "Hello button!" She scooped her up and gave her 4 days worth of hugs and kisses.

"Did you go on the big plane?"

"Pain!" The little girl nodded. "Loud." She added covering her ears.

"There he is! My brother...the groom!" Anne Marie, who was a short, plump woman with blonde hair gripped her younger brother and gave him a rib crushing hug. "And my daughter too!" She cried out overjoyed.

"Kieran." Her husband, an average height, well built man with red hair, offered his brother in law a manly handshake and a pat on the back; the Irish man's version of a hug.

"Diarmuid." Kieran nodded back.

"Has she been good?" Sadie asked her parents in between hugs.

"Good as gold!" The doting grandmother smiled.

"Gave the airhostess a bit of an earache though." Her father chuckled. "Her tongue never lay from we took off till we landed." Sadie looked at her daughter with a furrowed brow.

"Kept telling everyone about the wedding and her dress." Anne Marie added.

"Wedding." Aiden sang. Kieran laughed.

"Aiden do you remember Uncle Kieran?" Sadie asked, pointing at the man in question.

"Ke-yan." She smiled at him. He choked up a little bit and smiled back.

"Hello Aiden. Haven't you gotten big?" He ruffled her hair. She frowned and pushed it back out of her eyes.

-

"Shouldn't be long now." Gina smiled when she got off the phone. "They're just leaving the airport now."

"Oh you two are in for a treat!" Diarmuid laughed at the unsuspecting pair. His family were, for want of a better word, charmingly dysfunctional.

"Did you remember to invite Emily round?" Gina asked her daughter.

"Yes." Naomi sighed. "Though I _still_ don't see why she has to be here."

"She's practically part of the family." Gina smiled. "Besides, I think it's important for her to meet her future in-laws in-law."

Naomi cringed at her mother; she was sure if the whole lot of them, Irish included, would move in tomorrow Gina would be thrilled to have them live as one huge happy extended family.

"It's going to be weird seeing Sadie with a baby." Naomi thought out loud.

"You would think that but it's not really." Her brother shrugged. "She's actually a natural mother. It's kind of funny."

"I can't wait to meet her." Gina cooed excitedly. "I love babies."

Naomi rolled her eyes. Her mother was going to love having a baby in the house, even if it would only be for the next 24 hours or so.

-

It was a bit of a squeeze fitting 4 people, 1 car seat and all the luggage into Kieran's tiny car but somehow they managed it, though Anne Marie spent the whole journey home praying the car wouldn't fall apart. When they arrived everyone was waiting expectantly for them in the living room. Gina had just made a pot of tea. Irish people like tea and drink it in large amounts, she had learned this when Kieran had moved in.

"Hello." She greeted them cheerfully. "Welcome to Bristol."

"Everyone this is my bride to be Gina." Kieran said, moving to stand beside her. "And this is her lovely daughter Naomi." He put his arm around the blonde girl.

"Naomi and Gina this is my sister Anne Marie." The words had barely left his mouth when the tiny woman hurled herself towards Gina and grabbed her for a nice, tight hug.

"Welcome to the family!" She squealed emotionally. "Both of you!" She added, releasing Gina and throwing her arms around a startled Naomi. Sadie and Diarmuid fought to control their laughter while Kieran looked at his sister like she was crazy.

"And this is her husband Diarmuid." He added, gesturing towards him.

"Big Derm." Sadie informed them, patting her father on the back.

"And this, as you might have guessed, is the infamous Aiden." Sadie bounced the child in her arms.

"Isn't she precious!" Gina said, rushing towards them to fawn over the baby.

"Say hello to Auntie Gina Aiden." Sadie told her daughter. Gina mouthed the words Auntie Gina and her eyes filled with tears.

"Hello." Aiden giggled.

"Auntie Gina has a special job for you at the wedding tomorrow."

"Wedding!" The child cheered.

"Gina has asked Aiden to be flower girl tomorrow." Sadie informed her mum.

"Oh that is so thoughtful." The over emotional Irish woman pulled Gina down for another rib crushing hug.

"You're a brave woman!" Diarmuid senior joked.

"Yeah maybe we have a bit of a practise later." Sadie suggested looking sceptically at the child.

With the introductions out of the way they sat down for a cup of tea and the usual getting to know you banter. Aiden was in her element as she climbed from person to person putting on her puppy dog face to get more biscuits.

"Ta." She said as Gina handed her another custard cream.

"Who says ta?" Sadie asked, in an angry tone.

"Fank oo." She corrected herself with a mouth full of biscuit.

"She's very advanced for her age." Gina remarked, sounding impressed. "She's talking a lot."

"Yeah, it's getting her to shut up that's the trick." Uncle Diarmuid laughed and grabbed his niece and tickled her.

"Stop that!" Sadie chastised him. "She's just ate her body weight in bloody custard creams you're going to make her sick." She slapped her brother and took the baby from him. Aiden looked dismayed as Diarmuid looked guilty.

"See what I mean." He said to Naomi, who understood completely. Sadie looked so natural with the child that you sort of forgot about all the other stuff surrounding it.

The Bests began to retell all the embarrassing stories they could remember about the groom to his new family. He sat in his chair, jaw clenched, taking deep breaths as Anne Marie recounted tales from his youth.

"Thank Christ!" He exclaimed, jumping out of his seat when the doorbell rang.

"Hello Emily!" He greeted her a bit over enthusiastically. "Thank God you're here."

"Hi Kieran." She smiled wondering what had gotten into him.

"Now my sister is in there so I'd like to apologise in advance for what you're about to go through but thank you because you're taking the heat off me for a while."

"What?" The red head asked, half confused and half scared.

"You'll be fine!" He assured her before pushing her through the living room doors. "Everybody look it's Emily!" He cheered.

"This is Naomi's girlfriend Emily." Gina said proudly. Emily looked terrified. "That's right isn't it? Girlfriend? Or do you prefer the term partner?" She asked them.

"Girlfriend is fine mum!" Naomi cringing, wishing this wasn't happening.

"Anyway Emily these are Sadie and Dermot's parents Anne Marie and Dermot."

"Big Derm!" Sadie and her brother cried out in unison. Their father shook his head and smiled.

"And this is Sadie's daughter Aiden." She motioned towards the tot on the floor.

"Low!" Aiden beamed at the girl.

"Aw!" Emily cooed.

"She's not usually so biscuit covered." Sadie assured her.

"She's gorgeous, look at her little curly hair." The twin smiled. "She looks just like you actually."

"Hear that?" Sadie nudged Naomi in the ribs. "Your girlfriend thinks I'm gorgeous!" She smirked causing Emily to blush. She hurried over and took a seat between the two girls, trying to hide her face. Intrigued by the new face Aiden shuffled over to her mum, who was waiting with a wipe in hand to remove the biscuit crumbs from her face.

"So how long have you two been together then?" Anne Marie enquired.

"Umm...6 months now, officially." Emily stammered, feeling a little uncomfortable being the centre of attention.

"Oh that's lovely. How did you meet?" The girls looked at each other.

"At school." Naomi answered timidly.

"Give it a rest mum!" Sadie whined.

"What?" The Irish woman acted clueless.

"You know what." Sadie glared at her.

"I'm just curious." She said defensively. "I like to know how people meet. Maybe then I can help you meet a nice girl." She added pointedly.

"The day I let you help me look for a nice girl is they day I've asked Derm to kill me!" Sadie said dryly. Naomi chuckled.

"I didn't think Sadie would need much help in that department. She's already got herself a date lined up for the wedding." The blonde remarked, mentally kicking herself when she realised she'd just landed Sadie in it.

"You have a date?" Her mother sounded both surprised and pleased. Sadie took a deep breath and looked away.

"That was Mick on the phone." Kieran returned, having no idea what he'd just interrupted. "They're in town and all so I'm going to run in and pick them up. Back in a minute." He turned on his heels and left again.

"I better make some more tea." Gina said cheerfully.

"So this date?" Anne Marie pressed.

"Thanks Naomi." Sadie muttered to the blonde on her right. Naomi mouthed back sorry.

"Who is it?"

"No one." Sadie sighed. "Just one of Naomi's friends."

"What's her name?" Her mother sounded excited.

"Effy." Emily's eyes widened and she looked at Naomi. "Look it's not a big deal...it's not really a date...it's more like a we're both gonna be there so why don't we go together kind of thing." Sadie stammered.

"It's a date." Naomi confirmed with a grin.

"Wow! Is she nice?" She directed the question at Naomi rather than Sadie.

"She's lovely." Sadie replied flatly, looking to her brother for help but he was too busy laughing at her.

"Well what are you waiting for invite her round!" Anne Marie insisted. Sadie stared at her like she'd lost the plot.

"No fucking way!" She laughed.

"Mammy say fuck!" Aiden giggled, as did everyone else apart from Sadie and her mother.

"Why not? There'll be so many people at the wedding tomorrow I probably won't get a chance to speak to this girl properly." She argued.

"That's what I was counting on."

"Mammy!" Aiden interrupted all the chaos.

"What is it button?" Sadie asked, lifting her up on her knee.

"Tired" She whimpered.

"Are you tired sweetheart? Do you want to go to bed?" Sadie asked, searching her bag for the child's dummy.

"Yes." She nodded with a pout.

"Come on then." Sadie stood up and the child lay her head on her shoulder. "I'll just put her down." She excused herself glad of the escape.

"We're not finished talking about this." Her mother called after her as she walked out the door. Of course they weren't they wouldn't be done talking about it until Anne Marie got her own way.

"If I ever start acting like that you have my permission to put me in a home." She told her daughter, who was half asleep on her shoulder.


	13. Yay more Irish people

About 20 minutes later Sadie came back downstairs with Aiden in her arms and an un-amused look on her face.

"She changed her mind!" She smirked and dropped back onto the couch beside Emily.

"Well now you're back you can phone...Effy, is it? And ask her to come round so we can meet her before the wedding." Anne Marie insisted.

"I thought we agreed before I went up the stairs that I wasn't going to do that." She sighed, exhaustedly. Her mother had only been in Bristol for a few hours and already she was wearing her out.

"No you said _you_ weren't going to call her, _I_ believe it remains open for discussion." She argued.

"Mum I just met the girl, she really doesn't need to be subjected to all this." She pointed at her many family members. "It's not even a real date!"

"Oh just call her Sadie!" Naomi interjected. "I'm sure she'd like to come round anyway...and it _is _a date!" Sadie looked at her father for assistance.

"Dad?" She pleaded. The man drew in a deep breath and looked from one woman to the next, carefully choosing his words.

"It can't hurt to ask." He shrugged and received a death glare from his daughter. "Look sweetheart if your mother promises to behave." He shot his wife a warning look. "Will you at least ask the girl to come round?"

Sadie took a deep breath as her resolve weakened.

"We'd just really like to meet her." He smiled.

"Fine." She groaned. "But _she _has to promise to behave!"

"I do!" Anne Marie said solemnly, though her children doubted whether or not she was actually capable of living up to her promise.

"Here hold her for a second." Sadie said as she passed Aiden over to Naomi, who looked mildly terrified, and stepped out into the hall to call Effy.

"God Naomi, don't look so scared she's not going to blow up!" Emily laughed at how uncomfortable her girlfriend looked and began to talk to and play with Aiden.

***

"Hello." Effy's voice on the phone made Sadie smile a little.

"Hey. What are you doing?" Sadie bit her lower lip.

"Nothing much. Just sitting around the house, why?" She asked suspiciously.

"So...uh...remember the other day I told you my family were flying in today." She began.

"Yes." Effy drew out the word.

"Well, they're here and they kind of want to meet....you." Sadie furrowed her brow, why was this so difficult?

"Oh." The brunette replied thoughtfully. "Is that why Naomi text me asking me was I busy?"

"She what?" Sadie knew her mother was behind that. "Tell me you text her back saying you had lots of plans and were very busy."

"No." Effy laughed.

"Would you be interested in coming round? I mean you can say no. My family are a bit...and me and you, we're not exactly...do you want to come round?" Sadie's heart was beating fast with anticipation. For some reason she was really anxious about Effy's answer. The front door opened and Kieran and the rest of the clan walked in through the door. Kieran apologised for interrupting her phone call and tip toed into the living room and closed the door behind him.

"Yay more Irish people." Diarmuid muttered sarcastically. His mother frowned and gave him a displeased look.

"Right introductions...This is my brother Michael, his lovely wife Claire and their daughters Grainne and Nainsi."

"Hello." Gina greeted them. Kieran's brother looked a lot like him, only he was slightly taller. His wife was also quite tall and slim with short blonde hair. Their daughters also looked very alike, both had their hair dyed red and were of typical Irish complexion; pale.

"Everyone this is my wife to be Gina, her daughter Naomi and of course her girlfriend Emily. And I believe you know the Bests." There was an exchange of handshakes and hugs. Sadie returned from the hallway and sat back down. Aiden was happy enough where she was on Emily's knee.

"Hey guys." She greeted her cousins.

"Eh do you have any idea how stupid we looked checking our luggage in?" Nainsi said indignantly. "With a pram but no baby! I swear to God if your baby wasn't so cute I'd be close to hating you right now!" She huffed. Sadie just laughed at her.

"Well thanks Nance as always your selflessness astounds me and Aiden is very grateful."

"So is she coming?" Anne Marie demanded, frantically waiting to find out if she would meet her daughter's suitor.

"Yes, she's coming!" Sadie sighed.

"Who's coming?" Grainne looked clueless.

"Sadie's date for the wedding." Naomi informed them.

"You have a date!" Nainsi sounded shocked.

"I'm gonna get you a megaphone." Sadie glared at the blonde. "Or perhaps you'd prefer to take some ad space in the local paper."

"No I'm good! I think I've told enough people now." She smiled sweetly at her red headed roommate.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a date?" Grainne slapped her cousin's arms.

"Ouch!" She squealed. "Because it just happened and it's not a big deal. And why is everyone so fucking surprised by the fact that I have a date?" She huffed.

"We're not surprised that you got one just that you agreed to one." Grainne reasoned. "You haven't been dating much since Aiden." She shrugged.

"She's right you know!" Anne Marie agreed, she shared a knowing look with her niece.

"Whatever." Sadie rolled her eyes and stood up. "If you guys are going to do this," she waved her hands in the air, "then I'm going to have a smoke."

"Me too." Grainne and Nainsi said in unison.

"Yeah." Naomi agreed and followed them out the door, with Emily close behind her. Diarmuid looked at the remaining faces in the living room and pushed himself out of his seat.

"I'm...just...out there...yeah." He mumbled as he went outside to be nosey.

"I know what you did by the way." Sadie narrowed her eyes at Naomi, angrily sucking on her cigarette.

"It's not her fault." Diarmuid held his hands up and defended the blonde. "Mum cornered her and talked her into it. You know how she is."

"Oh...then it's your fault, you should have done more to protect Naomi!" She forced a smile.

"I...tried." He argued, knowing she could tell he was lying. "Is it really such a bad thing? She would have met them tomorrow anyway. At least now they're sober." He argued. He had a point.

"I know but still. I just met her what 3 days ago...I feel bad for her. No one should have to spend large amounts of time with our family." Sadie shrugged.

"Oi!" Her cousins shouted.

"Not you two...obviously!" She smiled sweetly. "I meant Anne Marie and the rest of the Spanish Inquisition in there."

"Oh...well yeah, shit one!" Grainne laughed at her cousin's misfortune.

"So who is this Effy? What's she like?" Nainsi enquired eagerly.

"Her name is Effy. She's one of Naomi's friends." Sadie answered, dismissively.

"I wasn't asking you." She sighed. "I was asking Diarmuid. Get more information out of him anyway." Sadie scoffed.

"You two are both turning into your mothers!" She remarked snidely, turning and heading back inside.

"Where are you going?" Naomi demanded.

"Well if everyone's going to talk about me like I'm not here, I might as well not be here." She smiled.

"Tell us everything!" Grainne demanded. Naomi and Diarmuid filled the girls in on everything they knew about Sadie and Effy so far.

"That's weird. Sadie doesn't usually go for younger women." Grainne mused.

"I know but G, you should see them together...It's..." Diarmuid couldn't find the right word.

"Cute." Naomi suggested. "And strangely..."

"Perfect." Emily finished thoughtfully. Grainne and Nainsi looked at each other.

"This I have to see!" Grainne raised her eyebrow.

"Lunch is ready!" Gina's voice cut through their conversation.

"They might be a while." Sadie smiled at her. "They're discussing my love life again." She rolled her eyes. Gina chuckled.

-

"You look nice." Anthea smiled at her daughter when she appeared in the kitchen. She was sitting flicking through the pages of a celebrity gossip rag, Effy sat down beside her.

"Mmm." She murmured in reply.

"Where are you off to then?"

"Naomi's house." Effy informed her, fidgeting nervously in her seat.

"Going to see Sadie then?" She smiled knowingly.

"Yeah." Effy muttered. She wished she didn't feel so nervous. She wished she knew why she felt so nervous. She had only known Sadie for a few days and she wasn't even sure how to classify their relationship but she felt this urge to have her parents like her. And her daughter, God she was most nervous about meeting her. It was a little bit funny really, that a two year old had the unbreakable Effy Stonem shaking in her boots.

"What's wrong?" Anthea asked noticing the difference in her daughter's demeanour.

"Nothing." She tried to sound convincing but failed as Anthea raised her eyebrow in suspicion.

"You sure?" She pressed. Effy sighed.

"Her parents are going to be there...and her daughter...they want to meet me...before the wedding." Effy explained, instantly feeling like a weight had been lifted from her.

"Oh I see."

"I just, sort of, want to make a good impression on them." She shrugged, realising she couldn't remember ever having a conversation this deep and meaningful with her mother before.

"What makes you think you wouldn't?" Effy didn't answer. Anthea felt a little bad that her daughter had no realisation of how sweet and special she really was.

"Oh Effy." She reached out and stroked her hand reassuringly. "How could they not like you? Just be yourself eh? And if they're anything like Sadie they'll love you." She joked. Effy gave a small giggle. She felt better now but no less nervous. She smiled at the woman who only months ago she had put a great deal of effort into loathing. Her mum smiled back; looking into those expressive blue eyes she reached up and stroked her daughter's hair.

"I better get going then." Effy took a deep breath and stood up from the table. She paused in the doorway for a second.

"Thanks mum." She said over her shoulder and walked out of the house. Anthea watched her leave; thinking for a moment about how much better Effy was doing since she came back before returning to the pages of her magazine.

-

They were just finishing lunch, Gina had put on quite a spread of pasta and sandwiches and other such foods, when the doorbell rang. Sadie's heart skipped a beat and a swarm of butterflies went into hyper drive in her stomach so much so she thought she might actually be sick.

"Door!" Aiden chimed beside her. Naomi moved to answer it, Sadie looked at her and she sat back down.

"Will we go answer it?" She asked, picking her daughter up from her seat. The girl looked positively thrilled by the idea. Sadie stopped in the living room to wipe the pasta sauce off the toddler's face and straightened out her clothes and hair. With a deep breath she scooped her daughter up in her arms and gave her a hug.

"For the love of God please be good." She whispered pleadingly to the toddler who just grinned at her. This was really important to her; though she hadn't known Effy long she knew she really liked her. She felt strangely drawn to her like they had a connection that couldn't be explained. She really wanted Aiden to respond well to her. After all she was and always would be the most important woman in Sadie's life. And she really wanted Effy not to get freaked out by Aiden. Her stomach clenched as she opened the door.

"Hello?" Aiden called as the front door swung open.

"Hi." Effy responded with a smile and a wave at the child.

"Hey." Sadie smiled, undeniably happy to see her. "Effy this is my daughter Aiden. Aiden say hi to Effy." She bounced the toddler in her arms.

"Effy." She repeated. Effy released a breathy chuckle.

"Hi." She said again, shocking both herself and Sadie by fussing over the child for a minute. Sadie's nerves settled immensely as she watched the exchange. It didn't really matter what happened now with her parents, as long as Aiden was alright with Effy that was all that was important.

"I'm still here you know." Sadie huffed, feeling a little bit left out. Effy laughed at her.

"She looks like you." She said thoughtfully. Aiden watched the two girls talking with great interest.

"You alright?" Sadie smiled.

"Yeah." Effy nodded. "Bit nervous." She admitted.

"Don't be. It's me who should be worried; this is going to be incredibly embarrassing for me!" Sadie assured her. "You'll be fine." She gave her a quick kiss on the cheek to comfort her. And it worked, for a second Effy felt fine.

"Sadie!" Anne Marie's voice sounded in the living room. She had decided her daughter was taking too long. Sadie winced.

"Oh Christ." She muttered. "I'm funny and cute and you really like me."

Effy looked at her with confusion.

"I just wanted to remind you of that before we go in here." She looked at the girl hopefully. Effy couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes I know." She gave Sadie a kiss on the cheek, feeling incredibly self conscious because of Aiden. Sadie smiled at her and opened the door to the living room.

"There you are." Anne Marie said as if she'd discovered some long lost object. "Is this your _friend_?" She asked excitedly, her implications of the word friend very clear.

"Yes mum." Sadie rolled her eyes. "This is Effy. Effy, this is my mum, Anne Marie."

"It's nice to meet you." Effy smiled nervously, holding her hand out to the woman. The Irish woman completely ignored it and pulled her in for an Anne Marie hug. Sadie had to fight hard to keep herself from laughing at the fear in Effy's eyes as she mouthed the word sorry over her mother's shoulder.

"Diarmuid!" Her shrill voice cut through everyone's eardrums as she bellowed for her husband. "Diarmuid she's here."

Sadie cringed. Why did her mother have to be so...embarrassing?

"Sit down." She instructed them, settling into an armchair, beaming at the two girls. Her husband stumbled in from the kitchen and smiled warmly at Effy.

"Effy, this is my dad, Big Derm." The brunette gave a meek wave as the rest of the family piled in from the kitchen.

"And this is Uncle Mick, Aunt Claire and my cousins Grainne and Nainsi." She said monotonously, each family member giving a hearty wave as they were introduced.

"Hi." She muttered timidly, feeling quite unnerved as they stared at her.

"Alright Eff!" Naomi said cheerfully, dropping down in the seat beside her friend. She felt sorry for the girl but she couldn't be happier that her presence was taking the attention away from herself and Emily. Effy was just glad to see a familiar face.

"So Effy, do you go to Roundview too?" Anne Marie enquired, her smile still plastered on her face.

"Yeah, I'm in Kieran's form group with Naomi and Emily." She said with a nod to the man himself. She felt like she was in a job interview or something.

"Very nice. What are you studying?"

"Uh...English literature, French, Biology and Maths." She rhymed he subjects off monotonously. Sadie reassuringly stroked her arm, making her feel a little better. Naomi and Emily looked at each other. It hadn't occurred to them before that they did not know what Effy was studying; come to think about it they didn't actually know a whole lot about her.

"That's a lot of work." Anne Marie sounded impressed.

"Sadie did Biology and Maths." Diarmuid senior informed her. "Never quite excelled in English though. She loved to read, just not the books on the syllabus. She felt they were subpar and beneath her reading level." He chuckled. Effy smirked at Sadie whose cheeks flushed pink.

"Thanks dad." She muttered, glaring at him.

"You're welcome pet." He grinned.

"So what do you want to do when you finish school?" Claire asked.

"I don't know." She answered honestly.

"Sure not to worry, there's plenty of time to decide." Kieran smiled at her.

"Yeah I mean, how long did it take you to decide you wanted to be a teacher?" His brother teased him.

As more time passed, Effy began to feel more comfortable around Sadie's family; she actually really enjoyed their company. The way they interacted with each other freely teasing and joking around but in a friendly, loving way seemed foreign to her but she found it endearing. They were all so close and involved in each other's lives; whether they were wanted or not. She had to admit she was a little jealous.

"Do you remember that Christmas the year before I got married?" Anne Marie asked with a chuckle. Kieran tried to remember what year she was talking to. "You were working in the pub and you stayed for a few drinks after your shift and Paddy Murphy dared you to down all those whiskies." Kieran cringed as he realised what she was talking about. Michael was already chuckling.

"What happened?" Gina asked.

"He got home somehow and fell through the front door, flat on his face, pissed as a fart he was. Ma and Da took an arm each and dragged him up to bed. He didn't resurface until near 1 the next day!" She laughed.

"And when I did get up no one was speaking to me and when I went to open my presents they all left the room. Except Granny Mary, God Bless the woman, she stayed with me. She always was better than you fuckers." Kieran huffed. Everyone in the room was in fits of laughter.

"Remember Anne Marie's 40th?" Michael asked.

"Yes I do and we agreed never to speak of it again." Kieran said pointedly.

"Well you missed the first Christmas after Sadie had Aiden." Diarmuid informed him.

"I heard about it though." He chuckled.

"What happened?" Effy asked, curiously.

"She hadn't had a drink since she got pregnant and Christmas night Anne Marie, Claire and Sadie were sitting in the kitchen with a bottle of wine...that turned into two bottles of wine and they all ended up plastered. We could hear them from the living room singing Squeeze at the top of their lungs."

"Labelled with love." Sadie giggled remembering that night. "Good times." She sighed.

"Wow." Effy laughed. "I'd love to see your house at Christmas." She thought out loud.

"Do your family not do anything like that?" Anne Marie asked sounding both shocked and confused.

"Not really. It was always just me and my parents and my brother." She shrugged. "No Dad's moved to London and Tony's away at uni it's just me and mum."

"What about your aunts and uncles? Cousins?" She said sadly.

"I hardly ever see them. Our family doesn't get together very often." There was a tinge of sadness in the brunette's eyes that didn't go unnoticed by Anne Marie.

"You're lucky!" Nainsi scoffed. "I'll trade with you if you want." Her family glared at her.

"Eh...considering I'm Sadie's _date _for the wedding I think that might be a _bit _weird." Effy giggled.

"Yeah!" Sadie agreed.

"You would be a welcome addition to the family though." Anne Marie smiled at her; not coming off quite as subtle as she thought.

"Mum!" Sadie said in a warning tone, feeling a blush creep over her cheeks again.

"What?" She said innocently.

"Ease off Annie!" Her husband also warned her. She crossed her arms indignantly unable to see anything wrong with what she had said.

-

Claire and Michael had left to explore Bristol's sights while Grainne and Nainsi wanted to go shopping. Anne Marie showed no desire to leave when Kieran offered her and Diarmuid a lift to the hotel.

"Oh alright!" She sighed huffily when Diarmuid insisted it was time for them to leave. "It was really nice meeting all of you." She smiled.

"You too!" The girls chorused back.

"I can't wait for tomorrow now." She smiled giddily.

"Bye bye mushy pea!" She kissed her granddaughter goodbye.

"Later alligator Granny!" Aiden replied cheekily.

"Bye son!" She smothered her boy with a hug.

"See ya Ma!" His cheeks burned red.

"Bye mum!" Sadie said, kissing her mother on the cheek.

"Behave yourself." Her mother smiled, with a sidelong glance at Effy. Sadie opened her mouth to say something but just sat back down laughing.

"And remember...if you can't be good be good at it!" She called over her shoulder as she walked out of the house.

"Ladies and gentlemen our mother!" Sadie flourished as the door closed. The girls giggled.

"She's nice." Naomi smiled.

"She's a bit full on." Diarmuid chuckled.

"She's funny." Effy added.

"I'm kind of looking forward to seeing what she's like drunk tomorrow." Emily mused. "I bet she's funny as hell!"

"Bet you won't be saying that when she corners you tomorrow." Sadie scoffed.

"Why?" Emily looked confused.

"You'll see." Diarmuid smiled ominously.

"Sadie..." Naomi sounded confused.

"What?" Naomi was looking at Aiden curiously. The child was sitting on the floor playing with some blocks singing to herself.

"Yyyyyooooouuuuu!" She crooned.

"Is she singing?" Naomi looked at Sadie there was no way the two year old was singing what she thought she was singing. Sadie however nodded with a smile.

"Socks are on fiiiiiiire!" Aiden finished and the room erupted with laughter.

"No way!" Naomi looked thoroughly impressed. She had no idea kids could be so entertaining; she had always just thought they were annoying and yappy.

"You should hear her do so what." Diarmuid said.

"The pink song?" Naomi's face wrinkled in confusion.

"Oh yeah, she loves pink!" Sadie nodded. "Don't you."

"Yes!" The child agreed.

"Sing so what Aiden." Her mother asked.

"No." She laughed, like the very idea was ridiculous.

"Please?"

"No." She laughed again. Sadie shook her head.

"Effy wants to hear you singing so what." She tried to entice her. Aiden looked at Effy considering for a moment whether or not the girl really wanted to hear her sing.

"Please?" The brunette put on a sad face.

"Ok." She sighed happily. "So what? I am a rocket! I got my rocket and I don't need you!" She sang merrily, jumping up and down to the music. The room was in hysterics.

"She's very clever!" Emily said, sounding impressed.

"She's like her mum." Effy said. It was sickly sweet and the last thing anyone, herself included, had expected to come out of the girl's mouth.

-

It was late in the evening when Effy left to go home. Sadie left Aiden in the care of Naomi and Emily while she walked her...whatever Effy was to the door.

"So?" She paused in the hall. "How bad was it?"

"It wasn't bad at all!" Effy rolled her eyes; Sadie was making the afternoon out to be much worse than it really was.

"Really?"

"Really!" She stressed the word.

"So you still want to be my date for the wedding tomorrow then?" The red head smiled at her.

"Of course I do." Effy bit her bottom lip, considering whether she should say what's on her mind or not. The question had been niggling at her all day though.

"What is it?" Sadie asked, sensing the brunette wanted to ask her something.

"It's just...is that all I am? Your date for the wedding...or are we something more?" She hated putting herself out there like this but she had no other option because internally debating it was driving her crazy.

Sadie thought carefully about how to answer the question. She wanted Effy to be much more than just her date for the wedding but there were still a few complications they hadn't discussed, like her possible return to Ireland after the wedding.

"Do you want to be more?" She asked, sounding vulnerable. Effy drew in a deep breath, fighting her natural urge to lie and run away from her feelings.

"I think I do." She answered shakily. Spending the day with Sadie and her family had made her feel, like she hadn't felt in a long time, happy, content and loved. Sadie's face broke into a smile.

"Good. Because I want you to be more too." Her smile turned into a full on grin, that was mirrored on Effy's face. "There are still some things we need to talk about though, if we are going to be more."

"Like you going back to Ireland." Effy's heart sank a little when she remembered.

"Well...maybe..." Sadie said dismissively. Effy caught her eye and knew there was something she wasn't telling her.

"Maybe?" She narrowed her eyes at the girl who was now apparently her new girlfriend.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow." Sadie said firmly. "I promise."

"Ok." Effy accepted and moved towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"I'm looking forward to it!" Sadie's eyes sparkled with desire as she thought of seeing Effy in a dress at the wedding. She pulled her in and gave her a deep, longing kiss. Breaking apart she smiled cheekily at her.

"See you tomorrow!" She grinned. Effy huffed feeling a little flustered and a lot teased by the kiss.

"Bye." She shook her head at the Irish girl's cruelty as she walked home. Tomorrow was definitely going to be interesting.

* * *

**A/N: **Ok so long chapter I know...I think I got a bit carried away, I think maybe I wanted to squeeze a bit too much in before the wedding but I hope you like it anyway - as always let me know


	14. I don't have a bathroom break til 915

The next morning Sadie and Naomi were rudely awakened by an unpleasant 7am alarm. The two girls had shared Naomi's bed the night before as the airbed had to be removed to make room for Aiden's travel cot. They spent a few minutes nudging each other trying to get the other to turn the alarm off before Sadie relented and hit snooze. She glanced over to see that Aiden was still fast asleep, lying sideways in the cot then she slumped back into the bed, rubbing her stinging eyes. Naomi was starting to softly snore again forcing Sadie to give her a shake.

"Wake up!" She hissed. Naomi merely groaned.

"Naomi!" She said sternly. The blonde grunted. Sighing heavily Sadie rolled over closer to the blonde.

"Get the hell up!" She yelled directly into her ear. She jumped up startled.

"Good morning." Sadie smiled sarcastically; her voice was hoarse and deeper than usual given the early hour.

"No it's not." Naomi pouted.

"You know...Aiden makes a face shockingly similar to that one you're wearing right now." She mused. "Although Aiden actually is two." She teased. Naomi glared at her.

The alarm blared again, telling them their five minutes of snoozing were over, and Aiden's eyes snapped open. She looked around her taking in her surroundings for a second before attempting to get up. Sadie reached across the hush the alarm again.

"Mammy up!" She looked up at her mother with her big blue eyes.

"Good morning button." Sadie said brightly picking her up out of the cot and pulled her into bed beside her and Naomi. Naomi gave the child a wary look.

"What's it going to take to get you out of bed?" She addressed the surly blonde again.

"Coffee." She groaned. "Copious amounts of coffee...and if I'm to get though this wedding with my sanity you best make it an Irish coffee!" She finally pushed herself into an upright position in the bed.

"I'll go get some coffee then." Sadie said throwing her legs out from the blanket. "Keep an eye on her for a second." She requested and left the room.

"Sadie! Wait." Naomi called after her in fear.

"What?" She poked her head around the door.

"You can't leave her with me. I'm terrible with kids!" Sadie rolled her eyes.

"You'll be fine, just make sure she doesn't fall off the bed or jump out the window...I'll only be five minutes!" She shook her head at the blonde girl's ridiculousness. "Be good." She warned her daughter before leaving again.

Naomi reached for her phone in a blind panic and dialled Emily's number. The red head's phone rang under her pillow, the fine young cannibals she drives me crazy playing let her know it was Naomi calling. Feeling for it blindly she pressed the answer button.

"Hello." She croaked.

"Help me!"

"What time is it?" She rasped, glancing over at Katie's bed. For once she was actually asleep in it, so Emily had to try not to wake her up.

"About quarter past 7." Naomi sighed hurriedly. "Ems, you have to help me!" She said urgently.

"What? What's wrong?" Emily felt herself waking up now and she started to worry.

"Sadie has left me alone with Aiden!"

"What?" She demanded. She was a bit angry; she had feared it was something serious.

"I don't know what to do!"

"Where has Sadie gone?" Emily wondered.

"Downstairs getting coffee."

"Naomi you cannot be serious!" Emily groaned. She had woke her up for this. The other line remained silent, letting her know Naomi was in fact serious. "Well is she crying or something?" She asked, though she couldn't hear anything on the line.

"No."

"What's she doing?"

"She's just lying in bed beside me...looking at me." She was slightly unnerved. Naomi nodded and smiled at the tot.

"She's two and capable of conversation Naomi, not an alien or a bomb, just talk to her or entertain her. At the very least just make sure she isn't injured before Sadie gets back."

"But..."

"I'm going back to bed." Emily interrupted her. "I'll see you later at the wedding. I love you."

Naomi looked at her phone; Emily had hung up and hadn't been very helpful at all. She looked at Aiden who was looking back at her clueless with her massive blue eyes and cute smile.

"Hello." Naomi said, as though she were an awkward stranger. Aiden just looked at her.

"Naomi." She smiled at her minder.

"That's right." Naomi couldn't help but smile. She relaxed very slightly.

"Was that Emily on the phone?" She asked, as clear as day, shocking Naomi.

"Yes, you're right it was." She stared at the toddler in mild amazement. She narrowed her eyes at her. "You're very clever aren't you?"

The toddler just looked at her blankly.

"Are you looking forward to the wedding?" Naomi asked, unable to believe she was making small talk with a baby at early o'clock on the morning of her mother's wedding.

"Yeah." She squealed excitedly.

"Are you going to walk down the aisle nicely for...Auntie Gina?" The term Auntie Gina felt foreign in her mouth.

"With you?" Aiden asked.

"Um...if you want." She shrugged.

"Everyone still alive in here?" Sadie called as she entered the room with her hands full.

"We're fine!" Naomi said with a smile, proud of the fact she'd managed to keep the little girl amused for all of five minutes.

"It's nice to see you two getting along." Sadie chuckled and handed Naomi a cup of coffee and Aiden her bottle of milk.

"Well since you're both such good friends now I'm sure you won't mind keeping an eye on her while I have a shower." Sadie smiled. Naomi's eyes widened; looking after her while Sadie ran downstairs was one thing, minding her for however long it took Sadie to shower was another. Sadie laughed at the look of panic that flashed in the blonde's eyes.

"Your mum is downstairs, take her down with you and she has agreed to feed her." Sadie rolled her eyes. "Thanks I just want to get showered before all the madness kicks off."

"Do you want to go down for breakfast?" Naomi asked, amazed at how she could talk to her like a grown up.

"Coco pops?" She asked excitedly.

"If you want." Naomi shrugged. Aiden held her arms up for the older girl to lift her. Naomi took a deep breath and nervously picked the toddler up. Sadie smiled at her, and headed towards the bathroom. Naomi carefully placed one arm around Aiden's legs and used her other hand to cradle her head. She held her close to her body as she descended the stairs. Aiden wondered why she was carrying her like that but didn't care very much considering the alternative was walking. Gina laughed when she seen her daughter approach with Aiden.

"What?" She asked defensively.

"Nothing." Gina bit her lips. "Good morning Aiden." She smiled.

"Mornin!" She sounded so much like Kieran when she said that Gina had to laugh. She took the child from her daughter and placed her on a chair. Naomi had filled the child a bowl of coco pops before she even realised what she was doing. Maybe she wasn't completely devoid of maternal instinct after all. She sat down beside the child and picked up the spoon to feed her.

"I do it!" Aiden shouted at her and took the spoon from her hand. Naomi looked to her mother for guidance, Gina just shrugged.

"If she's anything like you when you were her age trying to feed her will only result in coco pops on the floor." She said wisely. They watched as the toddler struggled, but still managed to feed herself her breakfast. By the end of it all her face and Peppa Pig pyjamas were covered in chocolate milk and rice puffs.

"Oh my God! I didn't even think there was that many coco pops in the bowl." Naomi gasped when she seen the filthy baby. Her whole face and hands were stained brown and her hair stuck together in clumps where the sugar filled milk had covered it.

"You're going to need a bath." Gina shook her head at the girl who looked quite pleased with the idea. Gina put the plug in the sink and began to fill it with warm water.

"I'll go see if Sadie's out of the shower." Naomi offered.

"No need I'll give her a quick dip in the sink."

"What? Can you do that?" Naomi wasn't entirely sure that was allowed.

"Of course." Gina chuckled. "I used to bath you in the sink all the time."

Naomi looked shocked.

"You would come in from the garden covered head to toe in mud and it was the only option." She shrugged. "Besides we don't have time to wait on Sadie finishing then running a bath. We're on a schedule." She nodded towards a small pile of white printer paper on the bench.

Naomi moved to examine them as Gina began removing the chocolate covered clothing from Aiden. The schedules looked vaguely familiar; it was a format Gina used regularly when organising protests, and it was a tight schedule. There wasn't really time for any of them to breath between hairdressers arriving and helping Gina get dressed then the photographer...weddings were chaotic.

-

The doorbell rang as Sadie stepped out of the shower. She wrapped a towel around herself and headed towards Naomi's room to change.

"Have you seen this?" Naomi asked when she stormed into the room five minutes later holding up one of the schedules. Sadie laughed. Gina had given her a copy when she had been down getting coffee.

"Yeah...it's a bit full on!"

"A bit?" She sighed melodramatically. "I just hope I don't have to go to the toilet before 9.15 because that's the next time I'm scheduled for a bathroom break at!"

"I take it that was the hairdresser at the door then given that its 8.45." She laughed. Naomi didn't really see the funny side. "I suppose I should go remove my daughter from the middle of it all. She's probably not helping things run smoothly. You better hurry Naomi its 8.47 and you're supposed to be in the shower." She smirked, tapping the page in the younger girl's hands. Naomi couldn't be angry anymore, the ridiculousness of it all broke her and she smirked too.

"Best get moving then, hadn't I?"

Sadie made her way downstairs, her hair still dripping around her shoulders. When she reached the living room she saw her daughter perched on Gina's lap while the hairdresser blow dried her damp red curls.

"What's going on?" Sadie asked with a smile, wondering how the child had pulled this one.

"I hope you don't mind. She made a bit of a mess at breakfast so I had to wash her down in the sink. She seems to like getting her hair done." Gina looked apologetic, thinking she probably should have asked Sadie's permission before having the child's hair done.

"No it's fine. It's just...it's your wedding day you shouldn't be pampering her." Sadie felt a little guilty. "Which she will let you do all day if you're willing so be careful."

"Don't be silly! It's fine." Gina smiled. She was enjoying having Sadie and Diarmuid around and having Aiden in the house was so refreshing.

"She's almost done anyway." The hairdresser, who was introduced as Leanne, informed her. "She's got such gorgeous hair."

Leanne tied the now perfect curls into two pigtails with purple ribbon and secured it with clips. Sadie hoped to God it would still be sitting so nicely by the time the wedding started.

"You look beautiful." Gina cooed. Aiden lapped it up, grinning widely at her. Aiden slid off Gina's knee and raced to her mother.

"Who's my gorgeous girl?" Sadie smiled at her. "You better come with me though; Auntie Gina has a schedule to stick too."

The rest of the morning ran like clockwork. At 8.50 Leanne and a girl called Amy startled doing Gina's hair and makeup. Sadie headed upstairs to dry and curl her own hair, while Aiden played in her travel cot. At 9.17 Naomi was called to have her hair and makeup done while Sadie got dressed. She pulled a teal and black, taffeta style dress on and finished her makeup. She then dressed Aiden in the little white tutu dress she had picked out for her. With her slight frame and the ribbons in her curly hair she really did look like a fairy. The doorbell rang at 9.25 and Sadie took Aiden downstairs to answer it.

"Hi, I'm Maria...the photographer." A woman with a blonde pixie hair cut in her late 20's smiled and tapped the bag of equipment. "This is Helen my assistant." She motioned towards the younger girl with black, shoulder length hair behind her with yet more photography equipment.

"I'm Sadie, niece of the groom." She introduced herself and held the door open for them. "Come on in."

"Thanks! And who's this little cutie?" She asked smiling at Aiden.

"Tell her your name." Sadie encouraged as she opened the door to the living room.

"Aiden Best!" She said matter-of-factly.

"It's nice to meet you. Maybe you'll let me take some pretty pictures of you later?"

"I don't think that will be a problem...she's a bit of a poser." Sadie informed her.

"Oh hello Maria, Helen you're here!" Gina seemed a bit shocked; they were 5 minutes ahead of schedule after all. Gina and the photographers moved aside to discuss things.

"Wow Naomi! Don't you scrub up well?" Sadie raised her eyebrows at the girl. "I swear if Ii wasn't with Effy and you weren't about to become my...step cousin Emily would have some competition." She teased.

"Shut up!" Naomi huffed. Her cheeks flushing, she hated having people look at her appraisingly.

"I'm only teasing. You look beautiful." She smiled sincerely. "Emily's gonna have to fight to keep her hands off you...well once you put your dress on that is." Sadie referred to Naomi's current attire of a baggy t-shirt and shorts.

"Thanks, you clean up pretty good yourself." She said admiring the dress Sadie was wearing.

"And me." Aiden chimed, causing them both to laugh.

"And you sweetheart."

"You look so pretty." Naomi said exaggeratedly. She was starting to get the hang of talking to Aiden. "Where did you get such a pretty dress?"

"Mammy buy it." She informed the blonde.

"Mummy has good taste, doesn't she?" Naomi chuckled. She then had to rush upstairs to get dressed, so she could then have her picture taken helping Gina into her dress. It was right around this time that things got a bit crazy. Gina's dress was a beautiful off-shite satin number with embroidery on the bust and about a thousand buttons up the back; at least that's how many Naomi and Sadie counted when they were trying to button them up.

"Why couldn't they just put normal buttons on the damn dress?" Sadie asked in frustration as she tried to pass the tiny elastic loop button hole over the equally tiny ivory coloured button.

"Better yet why couldn't you have just bought a dress that wasn't so difficult?" Naomi grunted as she succeeded with button number 17.

"I'm sorry! I never had all the buttons done up before." Gina shrugged.

"Well I tell you something our Kieran's not going to piss about undoing all these buttons tonight; he'll probably just rip the damn thing off."

"Sadie!" Naomi moaned in disgust. She did not, ever, want to head about her mother and Kieran having mad, passionate sex. It was bad enough she'd walked in on them once.

"Buttons flying everywhere!" Sadie added, poking her tongue out at Naomi whose face was wrinkled in horror at the idea.

"Number 20 done!" Naomi called, deleting the conversation from her memory.

"And 21! Dear Lord I think we're finished." Sadie announced with a sigh, dropping on the bed in exhaustion. Naomi fell down beside her. Gina turned to face them for the first time completely dressed. She looked radiant, Naomi welled up a little when she seen her.

"You look stunning." Sadie said, grinning with watery eyes.

"Mum you're beautiful." Naomi choked. She jumped up to hug her mum.

"Pretty." Aiden, who had been playing on the floor, gave her thoughts.

"Thanks." Gina smiled, holding back tears. "For all your help and for letting Aiden be in the wedding." Her voice was strained with emotion as she hugged Sadie.

"Welcome to the family." A single tear escaped Sadie's eye. "Now let's pull ourselves together, we wouldn't want to ruin our makeup now would we?" She chuckled.

The doorbell rang again and a tall man in a tuxedo stood on the doorstep. A black stretch limo awaited them at the bottom of the driveway.

"Taxi's here!" Sadie shouted when she answered the door. Naomi laughed as carried Gina's train down the drive. Sadie scooped Aiden up in her arms and followed them.

"Now you remember what we talked about." She whispered in her ear as they walked. "Walk slowly and nicely. No running and/or jumping, ok?"

"Ok Mammy." She smiled.

"You're going to be great! Everyone is going to love you." She smiled lovingly at the little girl.


	15. There's champagne in it!

**A/N: **So I work in a bar right and my work hours are crazy at the minute so sorry for the delay in the updates! I hope you enjoy this though - it's full of fluffy goodness =] If I don't update before Christmas then Happy Holidays everyone and you know reviews make spectacular pesents =P

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At 8 o'clock Kieran was rudely disturbed from his sleep by an incessant knocking on the door. He had taken being exiled from his home as an opportunity to enjoy his final night of freedom and had spent it in the hotel bar with the other males in his family sipping whiskey and smoking cigars. Needless to say it had been a late night and he felt every ounce of whiskey he drank last night pounding inside his skull with every bang on the door.

"Get up you lazy arse!" His sister's voice was muffled through the door. "I'm not going away until you open this door!"

Kieran grunted and rolled out of bed, pulling the duvet around him he moved towards the door cursing Anne Marie in and out of hell as he did so.

"What?" He groaned, drawing the word. His eyes were rimmed red from the alcohol he'd consumed last night and his hair stuck up at one side. His sister shook his head and made a disapproving noise at the sight of him.

"Honestly Kieran you're getting married today." She sighed. He stood before her like a child who'd just been scolded. "Gina asked me to give you this." She said handing him what looked to be an itinerary for one of Gina's protests. On closer inspection it was a list of tasks and jobs he was supposed to carry out before the ceremony and a time frame in which he was to carry them out.

"She cannot be serious!" He huffed and skimmed through the list. "Quarter past 9 – go to the toilet, half past 9 – fix bow tie, quarter to 10 – take Best's to the chapel."

"You're damn right she's serious. Look at the state of you...I tell you, that Gina's got her head screwed on right." Anne Marie smiled at him. "She's just what you need to get you in shape. Now come on...its quarter past 8 you're supposed to be in the shower!" She pointed to the schedule.

Kieran opened his mouth to argue but realised it would be pointless and probably only earn him a slap. He marched off dutifully to the shower. He followed his planned itinerary to a tee so when Anne Marie and the rest of them arrived at quarter to 10 to head to the chapel with him, he was ready and waiting.

"I like the effect this woman's had on you." Anne Marie nodded while the two Diarmuid's made whipping motions behind her back.

"Laugh all you want now," Kieran said, throwing his arm around his nephew as they headed out of the hotel. "It'll happen to you one day." He smiled smugly.

When they arrived at the chapel the florist had just finished decorating the alter and the aisles with white roses and other such flowers. Kieran found his ushers and debriefed them on what they were supposed to do.

"Yes, yes bride or groom?" Dermy rolled his eyes. "I've done this three times before."

Kieran stood nervously outside the chapel greeting his guests and waiting for a glimpse of the wedding car to assure him that Gina was actually coming. He kept brushing down his black tuxedo and fixing his tie.

"Congratulations Kieran!" Doug smiled cheerfully at him, shaking his hand rather vigorously. "Never thought I'd see the day." He mused and he headed inside the chapel to be seated by a long haired friend of Gina's.

-

Emily drew a deep breath as she approached the church. She wore a midnight blue satin dress that complimented her red hair. On her feet wore a pair of gold, strappy sandals that added about an inch or two to her small stature. Naomi had been paranoid about towering over her in heels. She had allowed Katie to do her makeup before she left her house so it was flawless, none of this however eased her nerves any. Her friends were only attending the reception so she would be alone during the wedding, well with the exceptions of 20 or 30 of Naomi's family members and family friends.

"Emily!" She heard her name screeched in a thick Northern Ireland accent and looked up to fins Anne Marie almost dislocating her shoulder waving at her.

"Hello again." She shyly greeted Anne Marie and her husband. "Nice day for a wedding isn't it!" She added, not sure what else to say.

"Beautiful, as are you dear, you look fantastic." The Irish woman cooed at her.

"Hiya Emily." Diarmuid greeted her cheerfully. She visibly relaxed at the sight of someone she was familiar with. "Bride or groom?" He asked cheekily.

"Oh." She was taken aback by the question. Obviously she was on the bride's side but she wasn't particularly keen on the idea of sitting alone.

"You can sit with us if you like." Anne Marie suggested. "Kieran could use a few more guests on his side." She chuckled.

"If you don't mind." She smiled. "Don't really fancy sitting alone."

"Of course not." She threw an arm around the girl. "After today we're all going to be one big family anyway. Diarmuid take a picture!" She instructed her husband, thrusting a camera into his hand and grabbing Emily.

"Now you son!" She smiled, pushing the two together. Diarmuid threw his arm around Emily and smiled jovially.

"Lovely." She gasped, clapping her hand with joy.

-

Effy rounded the corner and extinguished what must have been her eighth cigarette since she had left her house. She couldn't believe she'd left Sadie's mother talk her into this. She had just planned on meeting Sadie at the reception with everyone else, but Anne Marie had insisted she come to the whole thing. Then again, she was Sadie's girlfriend now so she was obliged to go to family function. From the gate she recognised Emily's red hair and felt relieved that at least there was someone there she could talk to.

"Effy!" Anne Marie beckoned her over when she spotted her. That woman had eyes like a hawk.

"Hello." Effy smiled and self consciously smoothed the silky fabric of her blue-grey dress.

"You look great Eff!" Emily said, not meaning to sound so surprised.

"I know who would have known I owned something this respectable." She giggled, uncomfortably. Emily felt terrible; she hadn't meant it to come out that way.

"She looks stunning!" Diarmuid senior gave her a reassuring smile and winked at her. She instantly felt at ease. It was like they were back in Naomi's house again.

"Doesn't she? Sadie will die when she sees you!" Anne Marie smirked and pulled the girl in for another hug. Effy was much better prepared this time around. "Time for another picture!" She said excitedly. Diarmuid junior began to regret ever buying her the camera.

"I'd ask bride or groom but considering your Sadie's girlfriend you really don't get a choice, you have to sit with us." Dermy chuckled as he handed Effy an order of service booklet.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." He smiled at the nervous girl. Finally he was able to see that despite everything he thought about her and Sadie and despite everything he'd heard about her Effy really did care about his sister. She would have to care at least a little bit to put up with his family.

"I hope you like having your picture taken." Diarmuid sighed. "Because she's going to be doing that _all_ day!"

"Here they are!" Anne Marie called excitedly as the white stretch limo pulled into the church yard. Kieran's heart jumped for joy when he realised Gina had actually showed up and this was all really happening.

"Get inside the chapel! Get inside!" Anne Marie hissed at him. "You're not supposed to see her till she reaches the alter."

Under his sister's insistence he headed inside. Emily and Effy hung back as Anne Marie, Claire and the other few people remaining outside the chapel rushed forward to see the bride. Naomi got out of the limo first in her knee length lilac bridesmaid's dress. Sadie was next out. The black netting under her dress puffing out as she bent down to lift Aiden out of the car. Finally Gina was able to get out of the limo. There was a soft gasp that echoed through the leering masses when they saw her. She looked radiant. As Maria pulled her aside to pose for pictures outside the chapel Aiden rushed over to her grandparents.

"Granny!" She cried excitedly.

"Wow! Look at you! You are beautiful." She fussed over her granddaughter.

"You look fantastic too sweetheart." Diarmuid senior beamed at Sadie, kissing her cheek.

"Thanks Dad!" She smiled. "Mum's dressed you up rather nicely for the occasion too."

He chuckled softly then it was his turn to fuss over his granddaughter. Sadie's breath hitched slightly when she laid eyes on Effy. The brunette was standing next to Emily chatting to her brother and she looked stunning. Her dress made her eyes even more striking and her smile looked relaxed and effortless. She managed to catch her eye and the brunette made her way over to her.

"Hey." Effy said softly as she took in Sadie's form. Her dress was beautiful and it couldn't have suited her more; it was like it had been designed specifically for her body and personality.

"You made it." Sadie grinned. "I hope they haven't been too embarrassing so far."

"Not at all...but then I haven't been here for too long." She joked; the spark between them was undeniable. "You look..." She searched for the right word. "Stunning." Because that was how she felt, stunned; completely taken aback by the emotions she felt towards Sadie.

"And you...God you're gorgeous." Sadie shook her head and bit her lip in appreciation of how attractive her girlfriend looked right now. It still felt strange that she really was her girlfriend.

"Effy!" A small voice cried out with glee. Aiden came running towards them.

"Hi Aiden!" Effy smiled at the toddler at her feet. "Don't you look pretty?"

"Thanks." She replied like she already knew that she did.

"Uncle Dermy!" She squealed when she saw him behind Effy. "And Emily!" She hurried over to them. Sadie laughed.

"I think she's just going around everyone so they can all tell her how pretty she is." It did not surprise her at all. Effy laughed.

"Hello darling." Anne Marie greeted her daughter with a kiss on the cheek. "You look beautiful."

Sadie nodded and blushed appropriately. "I know. With the exception of Diarmuid you produced some pretty good looking offspring." She joked.

"I heard that!" Her brother cried indignantly behind her. Effy laughed. She just loved how this family interacted.

"All my children are beautiful." She replied dismissively and loud enough so her son would hear her.

"Thanks Ma."

"And Effy...Sadie doesn't she look amazing!" Anne Marie gave the girl yet another hug.

"I know, she does, I told her as much." Sadie rolled her eyes. She really should just tell her mother that Effy had already agreed to be her girlfriend so she would stop all this encouragement. She would just not right now before the wedding.

"Quick get together so I can take a picture." She commanded them and they had no choice to oblige. The bright flash almost blinded them.

"Now act like you're here as a couple." She sighed and shook her head; they didn't look nearly close enough in the picture. They put their arms around each other and Sadie leaned her head in towards Effy, both of them were smiling uncontrollably. Another bright flash.

"Much better." Anne Marie nodded with satisfaction.

"We're going to head inside now, the wedding's about to start." She informed them. Emily and Diarmuid junior joined them to head inside. Diarmuid handed granddaughter back to her mother and followed the herd inside the chapel.

"Alright now it's time for you to walk down the aisle. Just like we practised, ok?" Sadie smiled at the little girl in her arms. Naomi and Gina were waiting at the doors of the chapel for their cue. "And you do what Naomi tells you. Mummy will see you inside. I have a treat for you if you're a good girl." The toddler's eyes lit up at the prospect.

"Ok Mammy." She said obediently.

"Good luck!" Sadie kissed Naomi and Gina on the cheek and hurried inside before the procession music started.

She took a seat near the aisle between her mother and Effy. She placed a quick kiss on Effy's cheek and told her again how well she looked, making the brunette blush; they were in a chapel after all. The procession music started and Sadie took a deep breath and gave Effy's hand a squeeze as they turned to watch Aiden make her entrance. At the back of the chapel Naomi released the toddler's hand and encouraged her to walk down the aisle. For the first 30 seconds she was overcome with shyness but she soon got over it. She walked down the aisle in her white pixie dress carrying a mini posy of white roses. There was a collective "aww" from the congregation as she approached the alter. When she got to the front she looked rather pleased with herself as Sadie pulled her into their pew.

"Well done button!" She whispered and kissed the child's face as Naomi began her walk down the aisle. "You were brilliant."

"You're such a good girl." Effy added receiving a massive grin from Aiden for doing so. It was shocking how much the kid looked like her mother.

Emily heat skipped a beat as she watched her girlfriend walk down the aisle. Her blonde hair had grown over the summer and was loosely curled and swept to one side. Emily definitely liked it better this way. She also definitely liked the low cut neckline in the lilac chiffon dress. It flowed with her as she floated down the aisle, her eyes locked on Emily the whole time to keep her from blushing under the eyes of so many people. Their smiles mirrored each other and Naomi gave her a sly wink when she took her place at the altar.

All eyes were now fixed on the back of the church. Kieran unconsciously held his breath as Gina walked towards him. A huge grin was plastered on her face as she walked towards her very soon to be husband. In all his years Kieran never thought he would one day be standing here waiting on a woman who had changed his life for the better and made him want to marry and yet he felt like a dream was coming true. He gave her a goofy grin as she took her place by his side.

"You look...breath taking." He whispered in her ear. He never was very good with saying the right thing or having his words come out the right way but that was potentially the most romantic compliment he had ever given her and what a perfect time to deliver it.

"Thank you. You look very handsome." She said matter-of-factly and smiled.

The ceremony itself was short and simple there was nothing over the top or elaborate about it; just like the couple themselves. They had just wanted it to be simple and about their love. Anne Marie started crying during the second reading and was still crying as then stood outside the chapel throwing graffiti over the newlyweds.

"Pull yourself together woman!" Sadie barked jokingly at her, wiping a tear from her own eye.

"It was a beautiful ceremony." Effy shrugged. Sadie smiled and shook her head. She snaked her free arm around Effy's waist as she held a sleeping Aiden in the other.

"Yeah it was." She muttered quietly. Anne Marie took a break from snapping Kieran and Gina to take a picture of the three of them in that pose without their knowledge. A candid shot of pure and easy happiness; it would be a nice photo to give them when she got them developed.

-

Emily snuck up behind Naomi and placed her arms around her waist. She softly kissed the back of her neck before the blonde turned to face her.

"Hi." Naomi smiled. This was the first chance she'd had to properly see Emily and tell her how gorgeous she looked in that dress.

"Hi." Emily smiled back, her brown eyes sparkling.

"Blue is definitely your colour." Naomi smirked and nodded her appreciation of the dress. Emily blush slightly.

"Thanks. You look so...gorgeous." She smiled and released a contented sigh. Sometimes she found it hard to believe how much she loved Naomi, especially after all the crap they went through to get to the point they were at now.

"Thank you. It took a team of people to get me looking this good this morning I'll tell them you appreciate their hard work." She joked, blushing at the compliment. Emily laughed and rolled her eyes.

"You know I think you're gorgeous all the time. Even in the mornings when you're grumpy and have that funny bed hair quiff you get." She smirked. Naomi pretended to glower at her.

"Can you believe she actually married me?" Kieran chuckled as he and Gina joined the two girls. Gina slapped him playfully in the chest.

"No. I had my money on her running away." Naomi joked back. She loved how her new stepfather shared her sense of humour.

"Congratulations." Emily smiled at them both and gave them a group hug.

"Thanks love." Gina squeezed her daughter's girlfriend tightly. She had grown rather fond of her over the summer. She was perfect for Naomi; she balanced her out. "The limos ready."

"Yeah, now for the fun part." Kieran said excitedly. Naomi and Emily chuckled.

"You're coming with us in the limo, aren't you Emily?" Gina wanted to make sure the girl knew she was invited to join them.

"There's champagne in it." Kieran sounded thrilled. "Of course she's coming." He threw his arm around her and led the way.


	16. Kieran picked the menu

**A/N:** Ok this chapter has only been roughly edited so sorry for any mistakes. This is my last week of constant working so more updates in the new year but hopefully this will keep everyone going until then =] As always review and let me know what you think!

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Kieran and Gina spent the next hour posing for photographs in various places around the hotel. Naomi followed them around heavily sighing every time she had to do something stupid for the camera. At one point she was sure Maria was actually just trying to make her look like a complete dick but Sadie assured her that's what wedding photographers were supposed to do. When the pictures were finished everyone was asked to make their way towards the dining room. Gina had offered to seat Emily at the top table beside Naomi but she had opted against it; too many people staring and asking questions before she'd had a drink. So she was at the closest table to the top table with the Irish lot and Effy. They took their carefully arranged seats; Effy next to Sadie with Aiden in a high chair in between, then Anne Marie and Diarmuid senior, then Dermy, then Grainne and Nainsi beside their parents and Emily sandwiched between Claire and Effy. Diarmuid senior got a round of drinks in while they waited for the room to fill.

"I wonder what's for dinner." Dermy thought out loud, feeling his stomach rumble.

"I don't know." Sadie shrugged. "But I bet it's the only wedding related decision Kieran was involved in." Emily and Effy laughed while his family nodded in agreement. Kieran stood up at the front of the dining room and requested silence.

"Hello." He started uncomfortably. He wasn't too fond of addressing large crowds while wearing his penguin suit. "Thank you all for coming to our wedding today. This really means a lot to us and we hope you have a bloody great time. We'll save the speeches until our stomachs are a bit fuller and our brains a bit more willing to listen." There was a cheer and a round of applause. It had been a long morning and most people didn't even realise how hungry they were until the wait staff brought out the starters.

"Soup!" Michael said with a laugh. "Of course it is."

"Kieran definitely chose the menu then." Anne Marie smiled.

"Fucking thanks Kieran!" Sadie sighed as she tried her best to cover Aiden's dress before the child could cover it in soup.

"Will you let me feed you, please?" Sadie implored.

"I feed me." Aiden said quite surely.

"Will you let Granny feed you?" Anne Marie tried.

"I feed me!" She repeated.

"Well at least try not to spill it." Sadie rolled her eyes. Kids will get dirty there was no stopping it. There was friendly conversation throughout the first 2 courses even Emily and Effy got involved in the banter and piss taking. After the main course it was speech time. Gina stood up first as the wait staff hurried to make sure everyone had a full glass of champagne.

"Thank you all for coming, I suppose that would be a good place to start. It means so much to both of us that we could have all of you here to share our special day. I never thought I'd get married. I think I was actually quite opposed to the idea." She said honestly and turned to look at Kieran.

"And then I met Kieran. I know that sounds terribly cheesy and a lot like a lie but anyone who knows me will tell you it's true. When I met him I started to see why people were so enamoured with the idea of marriage. Actually when I met him I thought wow mad Irish bastard but then I got to know him and started to come round to the idea of marriage." She chuckled, as did the rest of the room.

"So I suppose the biggest thank you goes to him, for proposing and not only making me the happiest woman alive and his wife but also for accepting Naomi into his life and becoming part of her life as well. And to his family who have travelled from Ireland to be with us today. I can honestly say I have never felt more welcomed and loved by a group of people I'd just met." She was tearing up now. Anne Marie was in tears too.

"I should wrap this up here before I start crying and ruin my makeup. So, to my new husband and his family. Thank you for making me and Naomi feel like so accepted."

"Cheers." The clinking of glass echoed round the room.

"I guess it's my turn to say a few words now." Kieran moved to get up from his seat.

"Actually Kieran, if you don't mind, could I just say something?" Naomi asked. She looked shocked by the sound of her own voice, like she wasn't planning on speaking but the words came out anyway.

"By all means." He waved his arm to open the floor to her. She stood up, knowing her face was probably bright red and face the crowd.

"I wasn't going to say anything today." She gave a shaky laugh. "It was actually one of the terms on which I agreed to be bridesmaid; no speeches. But there _is_ something I would like to say. I guess I should start by welcoming Kieran into this mad family. Although having spent a few days with some of his family I think he'll feel right at home." The table full of Irish people nodded and laughed.

"Seriously though you've been great and you make my mum so happy. So I guess I just want to thank you for that. She has done so much for me over the years, though she drove me half crazy on the way, she always put me first. She deserves to be happy and I'm glad you're doing that." She nodded.

"To the bride and groom." She raised her glass and quickly sat down, her heart racing slightly at her impromptu speech.

"_Now_ it's time for me to say my few words, unless anyone else wants a go." He joked.

"I'll say a few words if you want!" Anne Marie offered.

"That won't be necessary." Kieran shook his head; he didn't trust her to say a few words that wouldn't embarrass him.

"That's my sister by the way; if any of you are talking to her later you'll understand why I just did that." He laughed, a cry of indignation was heard at Anne Marie's table, along with some muttered swear words.

"So I got married today, some of you might have saw, you know it was a pretty big deal." He laughed. "And I know what most of you are sitting there thinking; how did he manage to get her to marry him? And you're right. Truth is I still don't know how I managed it. I mean look at her doesn't she look gorgeous." He smiled. "And Naomi you look beautiful too."

"Again I should thank you all for coming, especially Gina because if she hadn't showed up well it would have been pretty embarrassing. But she did and now she's legally and religiously stuck with me for the rest of her life or until she kills me; whichever comes first." The room was filled with laughter.

"Really though Gina, you have made me the happiest man on the planet by doing me the honour of becoming my wife and I promise to spend the rest of our lives trying to make you happy. I love you!" He took her hand and kissed it. Anne Marie was crying again as most of the females in the audience swooned.

"And to be honest I'm going to stop there before I say anything else and ruin it. So can everyone please raise a glass to my wonderful new wife, Gina?"

"To Gina!"

-

After the meal they were all so full they struggled to move out into the reception area so the tables could be cleared to make room for a party. They found a group of sofas big enough to fit all of them and Naomi landed in beside them. Aiden climbed up on Effy's knee and began regaling the girl with stories about her favourite TV shows. Kieran and Gina were making their way around all the guests thanking them for coming and asking did they enjoy their meal. They came over to the area filled by Kieran's family.

"That service was beautiful." Claire smiled at Gina. She was also proud of her brother in law for finding such a wonderful woman.

"Thank you." Gina beamed. Her smile had barely left her face all day.

"I cried." Anne Marie added. "I always cry at weddings." She informed Emily, Effy and Naomi.

"No you always cry at everything." Sadie corrected her.

"Yes you are a very weepy woman." Dermy agreed.

"Nice menu choice Kieran." His brother congratulated him n his only input into the wedding.

"Thank you." He smiled. "I was just lucky Gina entrusted me with the most important aspect of the wedding planning."

His bride rolled her eyes while everyone laughed. Sadie whispered something to her brother and he nodded his agreement.

"Eh while we're all together Diarmuid and I have something to tell you all." She began addressing the large group. She was a little nervous with so many wondering eyes staring at her, even if they did all belong to friends and family.

"What is it?" Nainsi asked impatiently.

"We're going to be extending our stay in Bristol for a while." She bit her lips nervously. A stunned silence fell over them which was strange considering their parents and Kieran and Gina knew of their proposed plan.

"Really?" Naomi asked sounding slightly confused.

"Yes."

"I don't mean to sound rude but...why?" Grainne asked, she didn't sound too pleased.

"Well I want to open a shop." Dermy informed them. "I'm not getting anywhere at home with the asshole Paul holding me back every chance I get. So I've been looking at other places and Bristol is a pretty strong contender."

"It's sort of an open market here." Kieran chimed in offering his support. He was thrilled at the thought of having them around longer.

"And you?" She asked Sadie.

"I just want a bit of a break from Belfast. Frankly I'm a bit tired of being talked about and Aiden's going to be starting nursery soon and then school and somehow I don't see them taking very kindly to a lesbian mother over at St Catherine's." She shrugged. There was a mummer of discussion taking hold of the group. Sadie used this as an opportunity to glance at Effy to gauge her reaction. Her face, unsurprisingly, was unreadable at the minute.

"Did you two know about this?" Michael asked his sister and her husband. They nodded.

"And while we're not exactly happy about the fact that not only are my children abandoning me but they're taking my granddaughter with them," Anne Marie said pointedly, glaring at them slightly. "We are going to support them."

"It's the right thing for them right now." Diarmuid nodded.

"Well then...that's great! Good luck with it." Michael smiled at a loss for what else to say and hugs were passed around the group.

"It really is. I'm really pleased you're going to be around a bit longer." Gina smiled and hugged them. Sadie and Dermy smiled. They knew they were making the right decision.

"Yeah me too." Naomi smiled.

"I'm glad you said that because we'll be staying with you when these two head off on honeymoon, you know while we look for a place and stuff." Sadie smiled at the blonde who was a bit disappointed she wouldn't have the house to herself.

Sadie excused herself to go to the bathroom, hoping Effy would take the hint and follow her. When she came out of the cubicle she wasn't disappointed. The leggy brunette was leaning with her back against the sinks.

"So you're really staying?" She asked thoughtfully. Sadie dried her hands.

"I'm really staying. Not indefinitely but for the foreseeable future, yes." Sadie nodded nervously. "I know I should have told you sooner but I wanted to wait until we were certain I didn't want you to think I was saying things to get your hopes up and then turn around at the end of the week and leave. I'm sorry. It doesn't change anything about what you said yesterday about wanting to be more does it? Because I know Aiden...makes things a bit more complicated than you need them to be at 18. Maybe it would have been better if..."

"It's ok." Effy cut her off from the rambling. Sadie thanked God; she had a tendency to go on when she was nervous. "I understand why you didn't say anything sooner."

"I'm still sorry." She looked up at Effy apologetically. Effy chuckled slightly.

"Last time I checked your girlfriend not leaving the country a few days after you start going out wasn't something she had to apologise for."

"Probably not." Sadie laughed. Effy moved towards her and wrapped her arms around the red head.

"And Aiden is great; she doesn't put me off going out with you at all, contrary to what you might think. I told you the other day that I don't want to run from how I feel about you and I meant it. So I'm quite pleased you're not going back to Ireland for a while." Effy smiled. Sadie looked up and smiled back at her.

"Me too." They shared a tender kiss. "We better get back out there before Anne Marie comes looking for us. There's no way in hell she'll believe that it was a deep and meaningful conversation that kept us away this long." Sadie winked and held the door open.


	17. Who's the sprog?

**A/N: **Sorry about the big delay in the update - heavy work schedule + christmas + january tests + bit of writers block = my delay! It's probably still not that good but you can review and let me go!

* * *

"Emily?" Katie mumbled to herself as she stood in the doorway to the hotel searching for a familiar face in the sea of people before her. She toyed with the hem of her scarlet red cocktail dress and readjusted the strap of her black handbag. This wasn't like walking into an underground rave, this was a room full of civilised people and her sister's potential in laws, and she had to carry herself completely differently. Why hadn't she taken Pandora up on her offer to arrive together?

"Hi." A pale girl with red hair in a stunning teal dress smiled warmly at her. "Are you alright?"

"Fine thanks." She smiled, slightly falsely, but she didn't want the girl to think she didn't belong there. The girl chuckled.

"She's out back with Naomi having a smoke and I wouldn't go out there unless you fancy feeling like a third wheel." Sadie grinned. Katie looked at her in confusion. "I assume you're looking for Emily, you're Katie right?"

Katie narrowed her eyes at the girl and nodded slowly.

"I'm Sadie." She extended her hand for a handshake which Katie accepted warily. "Kieran's niece, I've been staying with Naomi..." Realisation dawned on Katie's face.

"You're the one who had the party Pandora won't stop banging on about." She smiled more genuinely this time.

"That would be me." She chuckled. "It's a shame you and Ems couldn't make it but not to worry I'll make sure you're at the next one."

Katie smiled at the older girl, there was something disarming about her that put her at ease. "Well I better find Emily and Naomi." She said walking forward slightly.

"Of course!" Sadie nodded. "No doubt I'll see you later."

-

"Katiekins, you made it." Naomi grinned at the older twin when she joined them. "And you've scrubbed up well too. Really you shouldn't have gone to all that effort just for me." The blonde teased. Katie pretended to glare at her.

"Please as if I'd waste my time getting dressed up for your benefit." She scoffed. "Although it is nice to see you in some ordinary and may I say very pretty clothes, for a change."

They smiled at each other, in their own way they had just complimented each other. They finished up their cigarettes and headed back inside. Across the room Sadie was standing watching Effy run towards her with Aiden in her outstretched arms, ducking and weaving through the many people in the foyer. Sadie smiled at the sight as they came to a stop beside her. Emily nudged Naomi and gestured towards the girls with a smile. She couldn't believe how cute Sadie and Effy looked together. Naomi nodded and smiled. Katie followed their gaze to find out what they were looking at. Effy Stonem playing with a young child; that didn't seem right.

"Hello." Sadie greeted her daughter and her girlfriend through a giggle.

"Hi." Effy laughed and placed a soft kiss on the older girl's lips. Katie's jaw dropped. Emily and Naomi's lack of reaction only confusing her further.

"Where have you two been then?" Sadie asked the brunette in a suspicious tone.

"Nowhere." Effy feigned innocence. "Isn't that right Aiden?"

"Nowhere." The tiny carbon copy of Sadie repeated looking solemnly at her mother from Effy's arms. Effy was shocked at how easily she had taken to being around the child and she was even more surprised at how Aiden had reacted to her; she was smitten with her new friend.

"What the fuck?" Katie exclaimed, demanding an explanation for what they had just observed. Naomi chuckled.

"You didn't think to mention to poor Katie the fact that Sadie is Effy's new girlfriend, or that Sadie has a daughter?" She asked her girlfriend with a smirk.

"It didn't come up in casual conversation no." Emily shook her head while Katie glared at them.

"I'm sorry, what?" Katie looked back at the pair. They looked content and at ease with each other. Katie couldn't remember ever seeing Effy so relaxed looking when she wasn't completely off her face on drugs. "So Effy's a lesbian now too?"

"All we can say for certain is that she's with Sadie." Naomi shrugged. "And that she seems happy."

Katie's mind reeled in shock at all she'd just seen and heard. It didn't seem right, Effy was a man eater. Notorious for bedding then chucking countless boys during their first year at Roundview and now she had suddenly switched sides. But looking at the brunette now she was relaxed and smiling, she was interacting with a child for fuck's sake. Katie saw no trace of the unhappy drug filled girl she once knew. Maybe it did make sense after all.

Sadie and Effy looked up to find the three girls staring at them. They laughed and waved at them, beckoning them over.

"Everything alright?" Sadie asked with a self conscious smile, wondering why they had been staring.

"Yeah." Emily nodded. "We were just filling Katie in on everything she's missed."

Sadie gave a knowing smile instinctively wrapping her arm around Effy's waist. "I see."

"Hello again." She smiled at the Irish girl.

"You met?" Emily looked confused.

"Oh me and Katie go way back." Sadie winked. Emily had no idea what she meant by that.

-

"One down how many more of your friends to go?" Sadie asked Effy nervously when the others had gone to the bar. Effy chuckled.

"It wasn't so bad. Katie seemed to take it pretty well and no offense but the rest of them will probably be expecting it after the party." She smiled, putting Sadie at ease.

"Hmm...Something tells me Captain Emo won't be too thrilled with you dating a, a girl and b, someone with a kid." She gave a forced laugh as Effy rolled her eyes.

"Well that's his problem, isn't it?"

"I guess." Sadie shrugged. She kept waiting for the younger girl to run away from her screaming but as yet it hadn't happened. She was doing really well with Aiden. For a crazy minute she even let herself believe this might work.

"Well time to face your fear." Effy's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Shit!" She looked up and saw Cook, Freddie, JJ, Pandora and Thomas coming through the door. Effy gave them a wave before squeezing Sadie's hand reassuringly. Dermy noticed their arrival and moved across the room to stand beside his sister. He knew she was nervous about telling them about Aiden.

They had all made an effort for the wedding. JJ was wearing his love ball suit with a new tie his mum had picked out for him and even Cook was wearing a shirt. Pandora had went all out and had her hair done and everything, if it wasn't for the pink converse boots on her feet she would have been completely unrecognisable as this sophisticated vision before them.

"Well, well don't you all look nice?" Sadie smiled cheekily at them.

"Thank you." JJ felt quite proud of himself.

"Have we missed much then?" Cook asked, taking a quick look around him, checking out the girls.

"Just a wedding." Effy shrugged. Naomi, Katie and Emily returned from the bar, Aiden was holding Emily's hand.

"Who's the sprog?" Cook asked noticing the tiny red head. "Don't tell me you two are considering adoption already?" He joked. Emily blushed slightly as Sadie bent down to scoop Aiden up in her arms.

"Actually, Aiden is my daughter." She smiled nervously. She could feel her brother tense up behind her; he glared at Cook just waiting for him to say something out of line.

"What? I thought you was a muff muncher?" Cook couldn't understand it.

"I am." She nodded. "But I also have a kid." Pandora looked extremely confused as she tried to figure it out. Everyone stared at her trying to make sense of what she was saying. Sadie's cheeks flushed red and Effy gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, standing tall beside her almost daring the others to make a comment about it.

"Look it's a long story, one I'm sure Sadie doesn't want to get into right now, so why doesn't everyone just accept it and move on." Naomi's strong, commanding voice sounded on her other side.

Though they were thoroughly confused they were sure they'd hear the story later so everyone was content to just get on with the evening.

"Oh and Sadie and Dermot will be staying in Bristol for a while." She added with a smile.

"Mega!" Pandora grinned, as did JJ. He liked Sadie; she didn't speak to him like he was an idiot or a child.

"Really?" Cook looked to Diarmuid for confirmation. "That's wicked. Bet you're pleased Eff?" He winked at the girl who gave a tight lipped smile and nodded. "That's more cause for celebration! Let's get the drinks in!" He put his arms around JJ and Diarmuid and moved them in the direction of the bar. Freddie shot a very angry look in Effy direction and followed them, fuming the entire way.

"I told you he wouldn't be pleased." Sadie smirked.

"Watch me not caring." Effy rolled her eyes.

-

They took a table in the back corner of the reception hall and watched as Kieran and Gina shared their first, and quite probably their last, dance as a married couple. After that the DJ started playing and the drinks started flowing. Aiden ran around the table enjoying all the attention people were lavishing on her. Even Cook had her up to dance, throwing her in the air and spinning her round; she thought it was great.

"Hello everyone!" A cheery Northern Irish accent greeted the table.

"Hi mum." Sadie smiled she could tell by the sound of her mother's voice that she'd already had a few glasses of wine.

"You girls alright?" She directed her question towards Naomi and Emily. Sadie smirked, she knew what was coming, she could feel it in the air like a thunderstorm brewing; all the questions she had been prohibited from asking the first time she met the couple were about to be asked and forcefully answered.

"Yeah." They answered, smiling at her like she was strange.

"Everything ok, you know, in your relationship?" She asked. Naomi looked taken aback, like she was considering whether or not she should feel offended by the question.

"Everything's fine." Emily assured her with a weary smile.

"And your sex life?" She just dropped it in like it was a topic of casual conversation; well with Anne Marie it was. Naomi's jaw dropped and Emily's face went as red as Katie's dress.

"What?" One of them managed to stammer.

"Your sex life." Anne Marie repeated with no apparent shame. "Is it good? Anything need improving? Are you being safe?"

At this point Sadie could no longer hold in her laughter as she fell to the table laughing. Naomi shot her a scathing look; at least someone found this amusing.

"My mum's a sex therapist, well a supposedly retired sex therapist but old habits are hard to break. And no I'm not saving you or giving you any sympathy. If you think you have it bad you should hear about what me and Derm went through going up."

"It wasn't that bad." Her mother snapped defensively, rolling her eyes.

"I'm pretty certain if it wasn't for her liberal upbringing I would have had a pretty decent shot of being straight." She teased ignoring her mother's dirty looks. "And don't even start me on coming out, bringing home my first girlfriend, every pride parade and one incident at a local gay bar." She counted the list of incidents on her fingers.

"So if you don't mind," she grinned unapologetically at the couple and patted her mother's shoulders, "please continue. I can't wait to see watching instead of being on the receiving end."

"Yes as I was saying, safety is something that's often overlooked by lesbians. While it is less likely to catch something through the sexual acts that lesbians perform there _is_ still a danger and you have to protect yourself." She informed them. Naomi began to pray for the ground to swallow her up or someone else to walk into Anne Marie's firing line for embarrassment.

Across the room Effy stood alone at the bar. Freddie noticed this and seized his opportunity to corner her. He approached her with his jaw firmly set with anger. She was blissfully unaware of his presence.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" He asked, gripping her elbow and pulling her to the side.

"I guess." She shrugged considering he hadn't really given her a choice.

"What the fucking hell are you doing?" He asked her, waving his arms emphatically. His dark eyes bore into her with distain, when they returned to Bristol in the summer he thought things were going to start between him and Effy; that he'd finally had the girl he chased for so long. However her intention was for a clean break when they got back. No more screwing around with people's heads or just screwing people in general. She realised she didn't really love Freddie or Cook; she'd just been addicted to the thrill of playing them off each other. She glared right back at him and kept her face straight.

"You can't be serious!" He shook his head.

"Serious about what?" She challenged.

"Don't act stupid!" He spat. ""You in a real relationship...with Sadie? Don't make me laugh."

"Excuse me?" She said scathingly. She was so over listening to his crap, at first she had felt bad for him but now he was just pissing her off.

"Please Effy!" He gave a dry chuckle. "Sadie has a child! When you walk out or screw around and ruin Sadie's life it's going to affect Aiden too. Come on, not even you're that selfish. Do you think you've changed? Do you honestly believe you're capable of being with another human being without torturing them for your own sick pleasure? That's who you are, Effy!" His words were venomous and his face contorted when he spoke.

She stood before him speechless and stinging with pain. Freddie's words didn't hurt her but the thought of hurting Sadie or Aiden cut through her heart like a blade. He just stood there glaring at her, waiting for a response. Diarmuid had been purposefully lingering near them since he saw the emo boy drag her over for a chat. At his spiteful words he could no longer hold himself back. He stepped up beside Effy, his shoulders back, hands clenched into fists at his sides. His jaw was set and his face fumed red with anger.

"Who the fuck do you think you are, kid?" He demanded. Freddie looked taken aback by the Irish man's defence of Effy. He stared at him blankly. "Where do you get off speaking to her like that?"

"Just delivering some home truths." He smirked and shrugged, casting a disgusted look at Effy who was standing behind Dermy now looking slightly shaken. "You should tell your sister to get out now before it's too late and she's trapped in Effy's web of torture."

"I think my sister is perfectly capable of making her own decisions regarding who she dates." He scoffed. "And I think this is nothing more than a case of sour grapes. I suggest that you apologise to Effy though because you were out of line." His voice sounded perfectly calm but still carried a threat.

-

"And the most important thing in any aspect of any relationship is communication. So don't be afraid to offer some positive feedback during sex." Anne Marie grinned but it soon changed to a look of concern when she looked over Naomi's shoulder. Sadie followed her eye line to where Effy, Diarmuid and Freddie stood engaged in what could only be described as a very heated discussion.

"If you'll excuse me a moment, my son has that look on his face that suggests he's about to punch your friend." Anne Marie apologised as she left the table with Sadie following closely behind. Naomi and Emily breathed a sigh of relief before looking to see what was going on.

"Is there a problem here?" Anne Marie appeared behind her son and tried to assess the situation. She shot a worried look at Effy who looked deathly pale.

"No...No problem mum." Diarmuid smiled at her then narrowed his eyes at Freddie. "Freddie here was just about to apologise to Effy."

"Sorry." He muttered after a lengthy pause then stormed of fuming mad.

"Are you alright?" Sadie whispered to Effy who nodded silently.

"What happened?" She addressed this question to her brother.

"Yer man there started on her. Went far to fucking far!" He seethed. "I swear if this wasn't Kieran's wedding I'd have smacked him."

"It's ok." His mother put her hands on his arms to calm him.

"It's not! Don't listen to him Effy. He's a prick!" He reassured the shaken brunette.

"Thanks." She muttered. "For stepping in like that. You didn't have to."

"You're like part of the family now." He smiled slightly. "People don't talk to my family like that."

She managed a smile. Anne Marie and Diarmuid headed to the bar because the whole ordeal had sobered them up terribly. Sadie lifted Effy's chin to look her in the eye.

"It's just us now. Are you ok?" The concern was clear in her voice but it only made Effy hurt even more. What if Freddie was right? What if she hadn't changed? She couldn't stand the thought of hurting Sadie; but the thought of not being with her hurt her more.

"I'm fine." She nodded but couldn't look her in the eye.

"What did he say?"

"Nothing." Effy tried to shake it off.

"If you don't tell me I'll just ask Dermy." Sadie chuckled. Effy rolled her eyes realising she really didn't have a choice.

"He just said that I'll never change and that I'm going to ruin your life...and Aiden's." She said sadly biting back tears. Sadie put her arms around her and pulled her in close.

"He's just mad because he can't have you." Sadie joked trying to lighten the mood. "Don't listen to him Eff...Derm's right he's a prick."

"What if he's right?" She spoke so quietly Sadie barely heard her.

"He's not." Sadie said with such certainty it was hard not to believe her instantly. "You're not going to ruin my life. You're great with Aiden; she's mad about you. So is my mum for that matter. You have changed!"

Effy drew a breath and straightened herself up. She wasn't sure why but for some reason she believed every word of what Sadie had just said. She had made her feel better in a matter of minutes.

"Thanks." Effy said in a happier tone, kissing Sadie on the cheek.

"Mammy! Effy! Mon dance." As if on cue Aiden came running towards them. Sadie bent down and picked her up.

"Mummy and Effy have to go see granny a minute why don't you go ask Naomi and Emily to dance and we'll be up in a minute?" She suggested. Aiden considered it for a minute.

"Alright." She said decidedly, running off to the girls table when Sadie sat her back down.

"Why do we have to go see your mum?" Effy asked looking confused.

"Because she's on her way over here now with some drinks." Sadie nodded behind Effy where Anne Marie and Diarmuid approached.

"Here you are girls." She said handing each of them a shot of unknown content.

"It's a bit early is it not?" Sadie looked at it dubiously.

"I thought under the circumstances we could all use a stiff drink." Anne Marie said seriously before turning to Effy. "Honestly the cheek of that young fella! I have half a mind to go over there and knock some sense into him myself. Or some manners at least!" She fumed; clearly Dermy had filled her in on what had happened.

"It's alright. Really!" Effy held her hand up to stop her.

"Well don't you listen to a work he says. Little asshole! We all love you." Anne Marie assured her with a huge smile. She could see how happy her daughter was, even though she'd only known the girl a few days; the wise woman could see they had a connection. "Well then...sláinte!" She raised her shot and motioned for the others to do the same.

"Sláinte!" Sadie and Diarmuid echoed while Effy looked confused and down their shots. It was vodka.

"Slant ya?" Effy looked perplexed.

"That's how you say cheers in our country." Diarmuid informed her as he threw her arm around her. "And vodka is how they say welcome to the Best family. Don't worry we'll get you again later when we're initiating Gina."

"Come on now." Sadie said tugging at Effy's hands. "We promised my daughter a dance."


	18. Talk about a one track mind

**A/N:** Ok so, had a bit of bad news reccently, my uncle was very ill and in hospital and unfortunately died on saturday afternoon. This might seem a bit disjointed but i wanted to write and publish something hopefully it's worth the wait. Please review and let me know =]

* * *

With the party in full swing it was after 10 before Aiden finally gave up and surrendered to the sleep she had been fighting all night. She had danced with everyone and ran around all night until the last half hour of the party which she spent curled up on her mother's lap. She couldn't take it anymore but she was afraid of missing something. Effy walked with Sadie as she carried a sleeping Aiden to her Aunt Claire's room.

"Why isn't she downstairs?" Effy asked, wondering why the woman had agreed to take Aiden and forgo the mayhem downstairs.

"Claire recently found out she's pregnant again, so she can't drink anyway so she offered to take Aiden for me. I think she's grateful of the excuse to stay away to be honest. I remember what it's like being around the drunken members of my family when you're sober. It's like being water boarded." Sadie explained. Effy giggled. They reached the hotel room Sadie was staying in and she changed Aiden into her pyjamas. The two year old didn't even stir during the process.

"She's wrecked." Sadie smiled lovingly at the sleeping toddler.

"I'm not surprised. So am I!" Effy stifled a yawn.

"Sorry. I couldn't prise her away from you. I think you're her new best friend." Sadie half joked.

"That's a good thing right?" Effy enquired with a raised eyebrow.

"It's a very good thing." Sadie answered as she crept across the room to her girlfriend, snaked her arms around her waist and gave her a long, lingering kiss. They both grinned like cats when they finally broke apart and journeyed down the hall to Claire's room. She was already in her pyjamas as well.

"Evening." Sadie nodded curtly when the blonde woman answered the door.

"Hi." She smiled brightly at her niece. "Bring her in. The cot is all set up."

Sadie walked in and kissed her daughter's head softly before laying her down to sleep in the travel cot.

"I guess you're going to have to reacquaint yourself with the world of assembling baby paraphernalia and night time feeds." The red head joked while her aunt grimaced.

"I know." She shook her head. It had taken her at least 20 minutes to get the travel cot into an upright position. Things certainly had changed since she had Grainne and Nainsi.

"Well this one doesn't get up in the middle of the night so you don't have to worry too much." She laughed pointing at the cot. "Thanks so much for doing this Aunt Claire! I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem!" She waved her hands shunning the idea. "You just go down there and have fun." She smiled suggestively and looked from Sadie to Effy and back again. They really were a cute couple.

"I'm only downstairs if you need me. If she gets unsettled or anything just come get me ok." Sadie fussed in the doorway for a minute. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Honestly Sadie we'll be fine. I've raised two of these things myself with another on the way I'm sure I can cope."

"Yes but the two you raised turned out to be Grainne and Nainsi so..." Sadie poked her tongue out and avoided a slap being thrown at her by her aunt. Effy was in fits of giggles beside her.

"Go on you before I change my mind." She mock glared at Sadie as she made her way down the hall.

"Finally some peace and quiet and trashy television." Claire smiled to herself and returned to the sanctuary of her room.

-

Emily and Naomi had finally managed to sneak away from the rest of the guests. They settled at a table in a secluded corner of the hall, grateful for some peace. From the beginning of the reception they had been bombarded by family members and friends who wanted to chat and wish them well. Their budding relationship seemed to have stolen the second stage in the three ring circus of Gina and Kieran's wedding; Aiden and Sadie being the third, of course.

"And we thought meeting the Best's was a traumatic experience." Naomi sighed taking a large mouthful of her wine. "How are you holding up?"

"It's fine, really." Emily assured her worried girlfriend.

"Good." She released a sigh of relief.

"I'll tell you one thing though..." Emily looked around at the crowd before her. "There won't be half as many people at our wedding." She joked without thinking. Immediately she wished she had held her tongue as she wasn't sure how Naomi would react to a reference to such heavy commitment. She held her breath and watched her girlfriend's face, waiting for a reaction.

"Hmm..." She began uncertainly. "I think we should invite the Best's though." She smirked.

Emily released her bated breath and nodded. "I think we owe Anne Marie that much after all the great safe sex tips."

The two girls fell about laughing as someone approached their table.

"Here you are. I wondered where you two had snuck off to." Katie sighed as she took a seat next to Naomi.

"I told her she shouldn't go looking because you were probably off somewhere having sex." Diarmuid informed them sitting down very close to Katie who rolled her eyes and wrinkled her face in disgust at his comment.

"What were you to laughing about anyway?" She asked, being her usual nosey self.

"Trust me Katiekins, you _don't_ want to know." Naomi grinned and Katie's face screwed up in disgust again.

"Fuck sake!" She groaned.

"Where is everyone else?" Emily asked her cheeks flushed, desperate to change the subject.

"Pandora is dancing, rather ridiculously I might add, and Thomas is obviously attached to her hip." Katie rolled her eyes and motioned to the dance floor where Pandora was dancing wildly near Michael and a rather surly looking Nainsi.

"Freddie sulked off somewhere after...a slight confrontation with me earlier...not sure where he's gone. I think JJ followed him though." Diarmuid added. The girls shrugged; Freddie and his moods, he'd be back soon no doubt.

"Last time I saw Cook he was talking to...your mum actually." Katie informed Diarmuid with a smirk. Naomi stared at the pair for a second; there was something too familiar about the way they were interacting.

"Not a conversation I'd like to overhear." He grimaced. Emily and Naomi shook their heads. "I heard she already got to you two." He chuckled.

"Yeah...it was...informative." Naomi gave a forced, tight lipped smile. Emily blushed beside her.

"Oh and Effy's gone with Sadie to put Aiden to bed." Diarmuid finished.

"Yeah right." Naomi scoffed causing Diarmuid and Emily to laugh.

"Can we please have one conversation that doesn't revert back to the topic of lesbian sex?" Katie huffed, shaking her head. "God, talk about a one track mind."

"Sorry." Dermy said timidly. "If it's any consolation they're probably not having lesbian sex."

"You don't know that." Naomi said matter-of-factly.

"Yes I do because they're on their way over here right now." He grinned as the girls in question approached the table and greeted everyone.

"Did you know Cook's talking to mum?" Sadie asked her brother.

"I've heard, yes." He nodded. "Who do you feel sorrier for?"

"Neither, I think they're well matched." Sadie chuckled.

"True." He smiled. "Alright now, let's kick this party off." He said rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "You need another drink." He narrowed his eyes at Katie who beamed.

"If you say so." She gave him a coy smile. Naomi and Sadie exchanged a 'what the fuck' look while Emily remained happily oblivious.

"Anyone else want one?" He asked then looked at the table of drinks in front of them and answered for them. "Yes. Great! Want to give me a hand?" He asked the brunette twin. Katie shrugged and followed him to the bar. Effy looked after them thinking the same thing as Naomi and Sadie.

"Interesting." She muttered quietly.

"Very." Sadie agreed and they shared a knowing smile.

-

Diarmuid returned with two trays of drinks and JJ in tow.

"Look who I found." He grinned at the group.

"Alright Jay!" Emily smiled at the curly haired boy. "Where's Freds then?"

"Outside." He frowned. "I'm sure he'll come back in soon."

"Probably." Naomi nodded reassuringly.

"It's a good thing you're here." Diarmuid said putting his hand on JJ's shoulder. "I was afraid your drink was going to melt."

He held out a fancy cocktail glass full of crushed ice to the grinning lad. "Wow! Thank you."

"I had them make you a virgin daiquiri...it's basically a fruity slush puppy." Dermy looked at the drink quizzically.

"Which one is mine babes?" Katie asked her hand planted on Dermy's broad chest. Emily glanced at Naomi who shrugged while Sadie mouthed the word babes to Effy. He looked at the many glasses of clear spirits on the table and frowned.

"You wanted...vodka...eh...Sadie would you do the honours?" He looked to his sister to solve his dilemma. The red head rolled her eyes and picked up one of the glasses and held it to her nose.

"Vodka...vodka...rum...vodka...rum..." She set each one down in front of its owner. "And...Gin?" She looked to see who claimed that one. Effy took the glass from her hand. Sadie raised her eyebrow in amusement.

"What? I like it." The brunette shrugged.

"Just glad to see I made an impression." She poked her tongue out at her girlfriend who gave her a playful shove. Katie was curiously sniffing a glass with vodka and a glass with rum to see if she could tell the difference.

"It all smells like paint stripper to me." She concluded.

"Don't worry about it...it's a gift." Sadie chuckled. "Some people I work with can't even tell the difference."

"Hello everyone!" Cook grinned as he dropped into a seat at their table. "I have to say Irish...You're mother is wicked. Proper nice lady."

"You enjoyed your little chat then?" Sadie gave an apprehensive smile.

"Very much so." He nodded smugly. "I can see where you get your charm from. Must be why Effy likes you so much."

Sadie was almost certain it was a compliment so she half smiled at the boy. Diarmuid was standing shaking his head.

"Do me a favour? Don't ever tell me what you talked about." He grimaced again.

-

The night went on and the guests got drunker. Everyone seemed to get lost in the crowd. The table, however served as a base point with everyone coming back to the group eventually.

"Wow Sadie, you're mum is proper good fun!" Pandora said exuberantly. "I wish my mum was like that. She would blooming flip if she thought I was drinking alcohol never mind get pissed with me. And she knows lots of stuff about sex and things. It's great."

"I'm...glad you think so." Sadie said, trying not to imagine Panda and her mother discussing the issue of sex; too many bad mental images. The blonde necked her drink and grabbed Thomas' hand.

"I love this song!" She cried as she dragged him to the dance floor once again.

"It's like a breath of fresh air." Sadie joked, taking a long sip from her drink.

"She's not kidding about her mum though." Naomi chuckled. "Remember her pyjama party last year."

"Shit." Emily's eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly as she stared across the room.

"Well it wasn't that bad." Naomi thought her girlfriend was being a tad melodramatic. Then Effy noticed what the red head was staring at. A few tables away Dermy and Katie were in the midst of a very passionate kiss.

"Oh God!" Sadie wrinkled her nose in mild disgust but like Emily she too found herself unable to look away. Naomi and Effy giggled

"I don't believe him." Sadie shook her head.

"What? Katiekins not his usual type?" Naomi asked out of curiosity; she was trying to picture the pair as a couple.

"No it's not that, I just thought he might have the wit to be a bit more discreet about it. Mum's going to have a fit." She chuckled.

"I know, one trip to Bristol and she has both of you coupled up." Naomi joked. "Hang on a second."

They watched as Grainne and Nainsi approached the pair looking offended by their actions. They adopted the same displeased stance and loudly cleared their throats. Dermy and Katie broke apart and looked around them. Naomi had never seen Katie's face so red before, it was highly entertaining.

"_That_ is something we never needed to see." Nainsi informed her cousin.

"Yes so if you wouldn't mind taking it elsewhere." Grainne added. Dermy looked remorseful and took Katie's hand, leading her to the safety of Sadie's table. Both of their faces were still flushed when they sat down.

"Having fun?" Emily asked pointedly. Katie glared at her and was about to give her retort when Anne Marie appeared at the table. Everyone froze for a second.

"Oh relax I'm not here to give any advice, just a message." She waved her hand dismissively at the wide, frightened eyes before her. "Family initiation in 5 minutes. I suggest you all be there." She said threateningly and left again.

"Family initiation?" Katie asked in confusion.

"It's...a tradition of sorts." Diarmuid thought how best to explain. "Since Gina has joined the family we have to welcome her by you know...filling her full of drink."

"Basically if you want to be part of our family you better be able to handle your drink." Sadie added. "Come on."

The other girls looked at her hesitantly.

"If you are related to either Kieran or Gina...or are currently involved with someone who is related to Kieran or Gina then you best get your ass over to Anne Marie's table or I promise you she _will_ come get you and it _won't _be pretty." Sadie explained. They all jumped up in fear and rushed over to the top table. Anne Marie, Diarmuid senior, Michael, Grainne and Nainsi and of course the bride and groom were waiting for them.

"Oh hello. You must be Katie." Anne Marie greeted the other twin cheerfully; momentarily distracted from what was at hand by the way this girl was looking at her son.

"Hi." The brunette smiled shyly. Effy wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't witnessed it with her own eyes; Katie Fitch acting shy. Anne Marie paused for a minute and looked between the straight twin and her son with an amused look on her face then snapped back to reality.

"Come on then." Anne Marie signalled to the bartender who came over with a lot of shot glasses and a bottle of something. She laid the shot glasses in a circle on the middle of the table and filled them. When everyone had one in hand she cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Since I didn't get a chance to say a few words at the dinner." She shot a glare at her younger brother. "I thought I'd just do it now." She grinned and Kieran groaned.

"I don't think any of us ever thought Kieran would find someone to put up with him never mind someone as wonderful as Gina. But he did and we are all thrilled to bits that today our family added a few members. So we're going to welcome them the old fashioned way." She smiled and raised her glass.

"Please raise your glasses and drink your shots and warmly welcome not only Gina but Naomi and Emily, Effy and from the looks of things Katie too. May we all be happy and may the love we share today remain with us until our time is up." She smiled and swallowed her shot; the rest of them followed suit, everyone slamming down their glasses when they were empty. Sadie motioned to her mother to refill them. Picking up her next shot she cleared her throat to call their attention.

"All I'm going to say is...you're all one of us now...God help you all." She chuckled and sank the shot. Again everyone drank and slammed their glasses down. Diarmuid senior asked his wife to pour one last round and drew a deep breath.

"I'm not as good with words as my dear wife is so I'll stick to the words of a wiser man and give the traditional toast. May love and laughter light your days and warm your heart and home. May good and faithful friends be yours wherever you may roam. May peace and plenty bless your world with joy that long endures. May all life's passing seasons bring the best to you and yours!"

A poignant silence passed over the group as each member reflected on the words that had just been said. Smiles lit up faces as joyful glances were shared among them and eyes filled up with tears.

"Sláinte!" Big Derm's booming voice broke the silence as lifted his glass to his lips. Gina clutched her chest and coughed as the shot stuck in the back of her throat.

"This is my wedding day and you're trying to get me pissed." She chuckled already merry from the alcohol.

"Like I said Gina...you're one of us now...you better get used to it." Sadie tilted her vodka and tonic to the blonde woman and smiled warmly. The younger Bristol women were taking a moment to compose themselves.

"Is this how you family celebrate everything?" Katie asked Diarmuid.

"We do like to perpetuate the old Irish stereotype." He chuckled.

"Not half!" She scoffed. "I'm starting to get a sense of what we missed at that party though."

"Just you wait Katie...in a few weeks time there'll be a house warming party for you to attend then you'll see what you missed." Sadie grinned. Effy couldn't control her smile at the thought of Sadie living in Bristol, even just for a little while longer.

"I can't fucking wait." Naomi grinned. This party would be even better than the last because this time Emily would be there to party with her.

"Oh it will be good." Sadie grinned devilishly. "Now if you will excuse me I have to go to the ladies. Be right back." She smiled and kissed Effy before walking away. She was gone for quite some time when Effy started feeling like a third wheel as Katie and Dermy were making love sick puppy dog eyes at each other like she wasn't there. She scanned the crowded and saw her standing talking to the photographer. They were both smiling and you could tell by the way Maria was looking at Sadie that they were flirting. An unpleasant burning sensation developed in the pit of her stomach as she watched the interaction. Jealousy was not an emotion Effy Stonem was accustomed to nor was it one she chose to indulge. It was a huge reminder of why she didn't like to get emotionally involved with people. She watched as Maria placed her hand tenderly on Sadie's arm and she thought she might actually throw up. Sadie excused herself from the conversation and walked towards Effy still smiling brightly.

"What was all that about?" Effy asked before she could stop herself and more demandingly than she cared for.

"What?" Sadie looked taken aback by Effy sudden change of attitude.

"Look like you were getting a bit friendly with the photographer, that's all." She shrugged trying desperately not to sound hurt. Sadie rolled her eyes and laughed. Not the reaction Effy had been expecting.

"She was showing me some photos she'd taken of Aiden and was asking me if I would be interested in allowing Aiden to do some child modelling. She has a contact at an agency and she thinks she would be great." Sadie explained, moving closer to her girlfriend and placing her hands on the girl's slim arms.

"Oh." Effy kicked herself. She had been completely irrational. That was what love did to you and that was exactly why she tended to stay well away from it. "It just looked like she was flirting with you." She looked up at Sadie with sad blue eyes.

"She was." Sadie smirked and enveloped the younger girl in her arms. "But I'm a one woman, woman; and I'm very happy with said woman. Besides, she's not really my type."

"Gorgeous isn't your type." Effy scoffed.

"Oh it is, but I like younger women, brunettes actually, with amazingly blue eyes and perfect smiles." Sadie smiled as Effy blushed slightly. "Who are a little jealous and insecure sometimes." She chuckled and kissed the other girl's forehead.

"Sorry." The brunette muttered feeling extremely foolish.

"Don't worry about it." Sadie assured her. "Let's go get another drink."

She laced her fingers through Effy's and pulled her in the direction of the bar.

"You really thought I was just going to run off with Maria then?" She teased as they walked.

"Shut up!" Effy cringed at how irrational she had been.

-

"If you're Irish come into the parlour there's a welcome here for you..." Kieran crooned.

"If you're name is Timothy or Pat, so long as you come from Ireland there's a welcome on the mat. We'll sing you a song, we'll make a fuss, whoever you are you're one of us. If you're Irish this is the place for you." The rest of his family finished the reel much to the displeasure of the middle aged barman. The DJ had long since finished and most of the guests had gone home but the party was nowhere near over as Kieran, Gina, Anne Marie, Diarmuid, Naomi, Emily, Sadie. Effy, Dermy and Katie all squeezed in around a small table in the hotel lounge.

"Oh I love singing." Anne Marie smiled drunkenly and proceeded to belt out a few more numbers.

"Lovely as your tone deaf, drunken ballads are mum I think it's time for us to call it a night." Sadie announced as she stood up and pulled Effy with her. "No doubt Aiden will be up bright and early in the...next few hours."

"No problem." Her mother winked conspicuously. "Good night." She beckoned them forward for a hug and kiss before they left. Effy still hadn't quite gotten use to the affection.

"We'll walk up with you." Naomi and Emily jumped out of their seats to join Sadie and Effy.

"Great!" Sadie smiled before muttering to Effy. "I hope their room doesn't share a wall with ours."

The brunette struggled to stifle a laugh and slapped her girlfriend on the arm.

"Goodnight!" Everyone shouted at once.

In the safe haven of their room Naomi and Emily collapsed onto the bed together encapsulated in each other's arms.

"I had a great day." Emily mused.

"Me too." Naomi agreed. "Although I have to say, this dress is definitely my favourite part of the whole wedding!"

A devilish glint flashed in Emily's eyes as she jumped off the bed and stood before Naomi.

"This dress?" She feigned innocence. Naomi licked her lips and nodded. Emily reached behind her and slowly undid the zip allowing her dress to fall to the floor leaving her standing in her matching blue lacy underwear.

"That's good too." She nodded her approval and pulled the red head down for a passionate kiss. Emily moaned into her mouth.

"Let's put those sex tips to good use." She giggled, pushing Naomi back in the bed.


	19. That's not how you wake someone up

**A/N: **So we're just about at the end of this little story...this is the last chapter with a little bit of an epilogue to follow...I have to say its a little sad I've grown quite attached to these characters. So much so that I've even started to plan a sequel if there's any interest out there for it. Leave a review and let me know. Other than that I'd just lioke to thank everyone who has read and has reviewed this story they have meant a lot to me =]

* * *

The next morning Sadie woke up much too early. Her eyes remained closed but her mind was wide awake. She tried in vain to return to her sleeping state but found it quite impossible. Sighing she carefully rolled out of bed so as not to wake the sleeping brunette lying next to her. She watched the steady rise and fall of her girlfriend's chest for a moment, finding it very soothing. She looked so peaceful. It reminded her of that first night they met in Naomi's house. She stretched and picked up her phone to check the time. 9.45! She groaned softly; she had only been asleep for four hours. At least Aiden would be up. She should probably go and take her off Claire's hands so she pulled her clean clothes from her overnight bag and quickly dressed. Now fully awake she headed down the hall to collect her daughter.

"Good morning." She smiled at her aunt when she opened the door. The woman was wearing a nightdress and a pair of jeans; obviously she was in the process of dressing when Sadie knocked.

"Sadie? What are you doing up so early?" Claire looked at her niece strangely.

"Couldn't sleep." She shrugged as she stepped inside the room. "Good morning button!"

Aiden was sitting in the middle of the floor surrounded by books and other toys. Her blue eyes lit up when she seen her mother and she jumped up to run to her.

"Mammy!" She cried out excitedly. Michael groaned in response to the noise.

"Oh you better get used to that Michael." Sadie teased him. "Were you a good girl?" She returned her attention to the child in her arms.

"Yes." Aiden replied sweetly.

"She was. Not a peep out of her all night." Claire agreed. "You don't have to take her, you know? I wasn't expecting you to pick her up for ages. If you want to go back to bed..."

"No honestly, I'm fine! I'm awake now. I won't be able to get back to sleep." She explained.

"Alright then, if you're sure." Claire sighed. "We're all going down for the late breakfast sitting at 10 if you fancy it?"

"Sounds good." Sadie nodded. She was starving. "Let's go get you dressed then. Say thank you to Auntie Claire for looking after you last night."

"Fank oo!" She obeyed her mother's request. Claire kissed her great niece on the head.

"Any time."

"See you at breakfast." Sadie called as they left the room.

"Mammy. Where's Effy?" She asked inquisitively.

"Effy's still in bed." Sadie informed her.

"You bed?" Aiden asked, wide eyed with amusement.

"Yes." Sadie nodded with a smile.

"I wake her." Aiden said decidedly. Sade doubted she would be able to stop her, even if she wanted to. She opened the door and entered quietly. Effy was still curled up in the same position she had been in when Sadie left her. Sadie smiled wistfully at her sleeping girlfriend, sorry for what she was about to go through. Sadie put the child down on the floor and watched as she approached the bed cautiously watching Effy with great interest. She smiled at her mother innocently.

"Wake up Effy!" She squealed at the top of her lungs giggling as she did so. Sadie couldn't help but laugh as Effy woke with a start and frowned, stretching in the bed. Aiden moved closer to the bed, putting her face as close to Effy's as she could manage.

"It's morning!" She informed her happily. Effy coughed and pushed the hair out of her eyes.

"Really?" She croaked. It certainly didn't feel like she'd been asleep long enough for it to be morning.

"Yup it is." Sadie smiled and dropped onto the bed beside the brunette, kissing her on the head. She helped Aiden climb on to the bed and the toddler immediately started bouncing as two year olds are programmed to do. Effy rubbed her tired eyes.

"Seriously reconsidering dating me?" Sadie asked, tilting her head to one side and looking apologetic.

"You wish." Effy scoffed and pushed herself into an upright position in the bed. "You're not getting rid of me that easily."

"Hear that Aiden." Sadie smiled and caught her daughter mid bounce pulling her on to her lap. "She's sticking around for a while."

"Yay!" The toddler cheered though she wasn't quite sure why. Sadie tickled the child mercilessly. Effy pulled her knees up and rested her head on them. The scene was sickly sweet; she found it hard believe that she had a part in it. It didn't seem right. She felt like she didn't deserve it but she was glad for whatever twist of fate turned her fortune around.

"Alright!" Sadie's voice pulled her from her thoughts. "You have to get dressed because we're going for breakfast."

She hunted Aiden's clothes out of the bag then threw Effy's bag on to the bed.

"That means you too, in case you didn't realise." She poked her tongue out. Effy rolled her eyes.

"Let me guess...Anne Marie's orders?"

"Nope. Mine." She smirked.

-

Gina tapped lightly on the door and waited politely for the occupant to open it. There was no response. Again she tapped the door. Someone in the hallway sighed.

"That's not how you wake someone." Anne Marie shook her head and began pounding the door. Gina just stepped back and let her do it. "Have them up in no time."

Naomi and Emily woke with their naked bodies tangled together. It took a while for them to realise the noise was not, in fact, pain bouncing off the inside of their skulls but rather someone at the door. Naomi growled slightly at the sound and shot daggers at the door in the hope that her scathing look would travel through the wood and hush whoever was stupid enough to be on the other side.

"What?" She roared, drawing out the word to convey how irritated she was.

"It's me." Gina called meekly. Naomi huffed and got out of bed, wrapping a sheet around her to cover herself.

"What do you want?" She asked when she opened the door and with more attitude than Gina deserved.

"You wanted me to wake you for breakfast."

"What?" She spat not understanding what was going on.

"Last night I asked if you wanted me to wake you for breakfast and you said yes." Gina explained. "Although I take it you've changed your mind. Sorry for waking you."

"Sorry." She sighed. She knew she should apologise to her mother but she just wasn't a morning person; Gina had lived with her for long enough to know that she didn't mean to be so rude.

"Never mind love." Gina shrugged. She was still too elated from the wedding to be angry. "You go back to bed. I'll see you later."

"Yeah." Naomi nodded and closed the door looking forward to slipping back in beside Emily. When she turned around the red head was sitting up in the bed looking bright eyed.

"Did your mum say something about breakfast?" She asked hopefully.

"So much for going back to bed!" She muttered.

-

"We should wake Dermy!" Sadie said as they left their room. "He'll go mad if he thinks we didn't wake him for hotel breakfast."

"Alright." Effy chuckled.

"Effy, up!" Aiden stopped walking and held her arms up to the brunette who without hesitation bent down and lifted her. She was starting to get used to this being around kids thing. Sadie laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Her girlfriend asked in an accusing tone.

"Nothing." Sadie shook her head. Effy glared at her. "It's just...the way you're carrying her. It looks funny. Kind of unnatural."

"I'm trying." She pouted, she had thought she was doing an alright job. Sadie suddenly felt terrible for laughing.

"Look there's nothing wrong with the way you're carrying her, it's just...look." Sadie stepped in front of them and adjusted Aiden in Effy's arms. "If you hold her on your hip it makes her a lot lighter. And don't worry like she might break. She's probably a lot more durable than you."

Effy held Aiden the way Sadie told her and found it a lot easier. She had never been around kids before so the best way to carry them was not something she knew. If it had been anyone else she probably wouldn't have even bothered trying.

"Better?" Sadie asked with a loving smile.

"Yeah." Effy nodded. Sadie kissed her cheek.

"It's so cute that she even wants you to carry her. She loves you which makes life very simple for me." Sadie beamed at her two girls. They stopped outside Dermy's door and Sadie proceeded to pound on it loudly. To her surprise there was no grumbling or swearing or long wait for him to open the door.

"Morning." He greeted her with a hoarse voice.

"Hi." Sadie looked confused. "What? Are you awake? It's 10 in the morning!"

"What's your point?" He asked defensively. His sister shrugged.

"Nothing." She was still confused.

"Morning Effy. Morning squirt." He greeted the other two girls.

"What's going on?" A familiar voice called from inside Dermy's room. Sadie's jaw fell open and Effy looked incredibly amused.

"It's just Sadie and Effy." He called back. His face flushing red he hung his head and held it against the door.

"Diarmuid Paul Best the third!" Sadie gasped in disbelief. He held his finger up to silence her as he stepped out of the room closing the door over behind him.

"Nothing happened!" He held his hands up. She eyed him for a minute. "I swear! We just talked."

"Talked?" Sadie repeated doubtfully.

"Yes, talked." He said firmly. "She needed someone to talk to and I volunteered to listen."

"Alright." She accepted his word but was unsure about what else to say. She got lost in thoughts about her brother and the much younger girl. He fell for girls so quickly and she was worried the twin might not reciprocate his feelings. She tried to imagine them as a couple.

"What's going on?" The girl in question appeared in the doorway looking confused and slightly worried.

"Oh nothing." Sadie said dismissively; Katie's appearance snapping her out of her thoughts. "I was just stopping by to wake my brother up so he wouldn't miss his hotel breakfast. She smiled.

"It's my favourite!" He grinned. Katie laughed and shook her head.

"Hi Katie." Effy greeted her friend.

"Oh hi Eff." Katie's cheeks flushed ever so slightly under her foundation. "And Aiden."

Katie still found it odd seeing Effy near a child though she had to admit that she did look happy. Even standing in the hallway at this early hour after a night of heavy drinking with a 2 year old in her arms she had this contented glow in her face. Sadie seemed to be really good for Effy, just what she needed. And who was Katie to judge her sudden switch of sexuality if it was making her this happy; she'd just spent the night in a hotel room with an Irish man she only just met and all they'd done all night was talk. They had kissed, obviously, but he hadn't tried anything on with her. He didn't try to force himself on her; he was very respectful and actually listened to what she had to say. She wasn't used to that.

"Well come on then!" Sadie said after a minute of silence had passed. She was hungry. The five of them walked to the lift together still quiet because no one was quite sure how to break the silence.

"I want coco pops!" Aiden announced as the lift descended to the ground floor. Everyone burst out laughing.

"We're going to get coco pops now." Her mother assured her.

"Yes and make sure you get the milk all over your face." Uncle Dermy instructed her. "And try to spill some on your clothes. Ouch!"

Sadie had slapped him hard in the arm. Katie and Effy laughed.

"As if she needs any bloody encouragement." Sadie rolled her eyes. Effy shifted the toddler on her hips uncomfortably.

"Do you want me to take her?" Sadie offered. The poor girl's tiny arms must be aching.

"I want Effy carry me!" Aiden pouted. Sadie sighed indignantly.

"She's fine." Effy shook her head and managed to successfully shift Aiden onto her other hip.

"Look at that you're learning already." Sadie grinned at the brunette who looked quite pleased with herself. Dermy was also quite touched by the interaction but his sentiments were severely limited by how hungry he was. The lift doors opened at the restaurant.

"Just head towards the loudest table." Dermy instructed Katie. "That's where _our_ family will be."

There weren't many other guests in the dining room so the large family table wasn't hard to find. They had pulled together three tables to fashion one large, strangely shaped table. Gina, Kieran, Anne Marie, Diarmuid, Michael, Claire, Grainne and Nainsi were already seated; some of them were already eating.

"Over here!" Anne Marie called, as if it would have been difficult to find them otherwise. She smiled wildly at Effy carrying Aiden and quickly hugged Sadie.

"Oh Katie!" Anne Marie sounded shocked at the sight of the girl. "How are you dear? Glad you're joining us for breakfast."

Anne Marie looked to her daughter who was putting Aiden into a chair. She used her eyes to ask Sadie what was going on. Sadie responded with a shrug and look that warned her mother not to press the issue. Anne Marie sighed and rolled her eyes. Soon everyone was happily tucking into a full breakfast. Friendly chat filled the table as they ate.

"Oh look, Naomi and Emily." Gina motioned to the approaching girls. A very loud hello erupted from the large group.

"Hi." Naomi responded tenderly. She still wasn't a morning person.

"Katie?" Emily cried out in surprise, her voice an octave higher than usual. Her twin smiled at her tentatively. "What are you doing here?"

"Having breakfast." She said flatly. Emily narrowed her eyes at her.

"I was with Dermy last night." She shrugged, hoping her sister wouldn't make a big deal out of it in front of his family. Sadie caught Emily's eye giving her a reassuring nod and she sat down but not without shooting one last what's going on look at Katie.

During breakfast the wedding remained the main topic of conversation, trying to keep the mood light. But as hard as everyone tried to ignore it there was an air of sadness hanging over the breakfast table because once it was over the Irish clan would have to head to the airport to catch their flights. Their visit had been much too short. Oh the bright side though, two of Kieran's family members would be extending their stay for an indefinite period of time; much to the pleasure of a few of the Bristol locals. None of them wanted to think too much about the sadness so they drew out the meal for as long as they could.

After the very long breakfast there were many tear filled goodbyes and promises to visit again soon. No one, however, was as tearful as Anne Marie because not only was she leaving the newest branch of her family but she would also be leaving behind her babies and her grandbaby.

"I can't believe this is actually happening." She sobbed with one arm around each of her children.

"It's alright Ma." Dermy shook his head. "We're not going to be that far away!"

"Well...promise to phone me every day!" She pleaded. "I want to know everything that's going on...everything!"

"We will." Her son promised.

"Twice a day if Aiden does something interesting." Her daughter added with a smile. Her mother collapsed into another bout of sobbing.

"What's wrong a Granny?" She asked her mother with curious eyes.

"Granny's just a bit sad." Sadie explained. "Because she's going back home and we're going to be staying here and she will miss us."

"I miss Granny too." The tot said after a few minutes of careful consideration. Anne Marie's tears had not subsided.

"Granny will miss you so much petal." She cried kissing Aiden's face. "I love you."

"Pull yourself together mum we'll be coming home soon to get our stuff. We're only moving across the North Sea, a sea so small that if it were in the middle of any other country it would be classified as a river." Sadie sighed. Anne Marie began to pull herself together, realising she'd reached the limit on how much of her dramatics they would tolerate.

"I suppose you're right." She sniffed and just like that the tears stopped. Her children rolled their eyes. With a tear streamed face she now approached Effy who had been standing nearby feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"It was lovely meeting you Effy. Truly it was." She said as she threw her arms around the brunette. "You take care of my girls now, do you hear?" She muttered in her ear; it was like she was passing the torch or something. Effy might have even felt touched if she wasn't feeling so awkward.

"You better come over to Ireland soon to visit!" She held the girl's skinny arms and gave her a shake. "Stay with me and give me a chance to fatten you up a bit."

Effy laughed and assured Anne Marie she would be with Sadie on her next visit to Ireland. She then hugged Big Derm, who she had become rather fond of during the time she had spent with him. Anne Marie moved to say goodbye to her new favourite couple, Naomi and Emily.

"Eh, don't worry about coming home too soon." Grainne said as she approached her cousins. "We'll come over and visit you regularly."

"You know once you have a nice place to live with a spare room for us to stay in." Nainsi added. Sadie chuckled.

"I _am _going to miss you two." She gave them both a tight squeeze.

"Well how could you not." Nainsi shrugged. They moved to hug Dermy.

"You tell that boyfriend of yours that just because I'm not in the country doesn't mean I'm not watching him." He muttered as he hugged the younger cousin.

"I will." She chuckled as they broke apart.

And then it was time for them to leave. Only a few hours after the Irish lot had left Kieran and Gina departed for their honeymoon. Naomi, Sadie, Aiden and Dermy gathered in the hotel lobby to send them off. They watched as they loaded their luggage and drove off in Kieran's little car.

"Maybe someone will steal it from the airport car park." He had joked before pulling off.

"What now?" Sadie muttered when the car was out of sight.

"Let's go home." Naomi shrugged. Sadie laughed. "What?"

"Just funny hearing you say home, you know, considering your reaction the first time we went." She chuckled and Naomi joined in.

"Yeah, well...I guess a lot can change in a week." She shrugged.


	20. Epilogue

**A/N: **So this is it. The very very end of If you're Irish! This epilogue is a different style than the rest of the story but I just felt like writing it this way for my own entertainment! Anyway as sad as I am about this ending the idea for the sequel is running rampant in my brain so in the not too distant future there will be one! Hopefully you will feel like reading it!

All that's left to say is thanks to anyone who bothered to read this and especially to those who reviewed because those were what kept me going. I hope you enjoyed reading it!

* * *

**Kieran.**

"I have to admit..." My new wife began as we travelled towards the airport. "I'm glad Sadie and Dermot are staying with Naomi while we're gone."

"You weren't worried were you?" I asked in slight disbelief. "Naomi can look after herself!"

"I know. It just puts my mind at ease to know she won't be alone in the house." She shrugged.

"And now we can relax while we're away because we won't be worrying about what state we'll find the house, or Naomi, in when we get back." I agreed with her.

"Exactly." She smiled at me.

I thanked Christ she hadn't seen sense and left me at the altar. All in all I'd say that made the wedding a success. And everyone enjoyed themselves. At least that's what they tell me; my own memories get a little hazy after all those shots with my family. Alcohol poisoning aside it was nice to see them again. It weird but I never seem to realise how much I miss them until I see them again. Although they weren't all gone. Sadie and Diarmuid would be searching for their very own place to live in Bristol while we were honeymooning. A fucking fantastic idea, I think. It will be great having them so close. I uncles aren't supposed to think things like this but I'd rather have Sadie and Diarmuid living in Bristol than Michael's two. They would just be too much hard work. Not that I'd tell them that. They'd probably kill me.

"Naomi seems to get on with Sadie and Diarmuid." I said to Gina, it was more like a question though.

"Yes, of course she does." Gina nodded. "I think she'll be glad to have them around."

"Well that's good." I smiled. It was amazing how well my old family had got on with my new family. I felt like the luckiest bastard on earth at that moment. We pulled into the airport and I unloaded our luggage from the back. For the life of me I couldn't remember where we were going. As with all the other wedding related decisions I had left the destination up to Gina. She did tell me but I wasn't paying much attention. It didn't really matter though as long as this amazing woman was beside me.

-

**Anne Marie.**

We sat in our seats waiting for it to take off and take me away from the rest of my family. My whole body was tense, like a mother bear I was terrified to be leaving my cubs behind. But there comes a time in their lives when you have to let them go out into the world alone. Although they wouldn't be alone exactly, they would have each other, and of course Kieran and his new family. That made it a little easier to leave them behind. I was still entitled to worry about them though. Diarmuid sat beside me holding my hand reassuringly. Twenty five years of marriage had made him wise enough to know not to try to reason with me right now.

"They'll be fine." I smiled at my husband as the plane circled the airport to land.

"I know they will." He smiled back; probably just happy he was allowed to talk again.

"I'm just not used to having an empty nest you know?" I sighed. I may be fast approaching the change of life but I still have a lot of love to give. It hasn't dampened my maternal instincts. Diarmuid Chuckled warmly and put his arm around me.

"Well you know, there are plenty of ways to fill it." He said pointedly.

I settled back in my seat as the plane began to descend and thought about what he had said. I thought about all the poor children out there who needed someone to love and care for them. The ones with no one to look after them or spoil them. It broke my heart. I could be that person. I thought of myself taking care of them, taking in a child that had nothing and no one and giving it all the love I had. The thought warmed my heart. I smiled warmly at my poor husband. He had no idea what he had let himself in for.

-

**Naomi.**

Emily and I stretched out on my bed not doing anything except enjoying each other's company. At first I wasn't exactly thrilled at the thought of having Sadie and Dermy babysit me while Mum and Kieran were gone but it wasn't like that. They let me do what I wanted when I wanted and Sadie cooked almost every night. So I wasn't able to throw a big, wild party because Aiden was there but there had been enough partying in the last few weeks that no one seemed to care. Right now it was just about spending time with Emily and my other friends before school started back and the time came to make decisions that could tear us apart. Emily was set on travelling around the world whereas I wasn't convinced. I thought I might like to try uni for a while but I don't bring it up anymore as Emily tends to interpret any reluctance as doubt about our relationship which couldn't be further from the truth.

Emily is probably the only thing in my future that I do feel certain about. I might not know what my future holds but I know beyond all doubt that I want her to be a part of it. I honestly can't imagine not having her in my life. I know I want to wake up every morning and look into her chocolate brown eyes.

"What are you thinking?" Her voice cut across my thoughts.

"I was just thinking about how much I love you." I answered, my fingers toying with her bright red hair. She rolled her eyes at me.

"What were you really thinking about?" She pressed.

"That is what I was thinking about!" I huffed. "Why ask if you're not going to accept my answer?"

"Sorry. I thought you were just saying that." She shrugged.

"What are _you_ thinking?" I asked.

"I don't want to tell you." She blushed and looked incredibly cute.

"Why not?" I challenged. "I told you."

"Because..." She frowned. "Your answer was sweet and cute and mine isn't."

"Just tell me." I giggled.

"I'm kind of hungry." She admitted, her cheeks blushing a brighter red. I laughed harder.

"Come on then." I said sitting up and holding my hand out to her. "Let's go see what Sadie is making for dinner."

She smiled and jumped up with me. I had to admit having the Bests here had its advantages. It was almost like having siblings; siblings I never thought I wanted. It was nice.

-

**Diarmuid.**

Bristol is a lovely city. The decision to move here was definitely a good one. Thanks to the leg work Kieran had done for me before we arrived finding the ideal location for the shop was easy. I have an offer in on a place already and fingers crossed I should get it. Kieran and Gina have been great, Naomi too. They just blended into our family seamlessly. It seems I have another adopted little sister to add to my list.

"Ready to go?" Sadie popped her head through the door and asked.

"Yeah." I answered. We were on our way to view a potential apartment. Town houses that have recently been converted into 2 storey apartments. Hopefully we will find one soon. The weather was seasonably warm when we got off the bus near the apartment. Tim, our estate agent, was waiting for us in the street. Despite the heat he was still wearing a suit. I had to respect a man with that kind of dedication to professionalism. He greeted us brightly and took us inside. The place was nice. It was the best we'd seen so far. I had a good feeling about it.

"I like it." Sadie said when we got outside and got rid of Tim.

"Me too." I agreed, only half paying attention because I was texting.

"Diarmuid." She said my name the same way mum does when she's looking something. I looked up at her, frowning. "I need your full attention here. Do you think we should take this place or keep looking."

"This is the place for us." I said with some certainty. I could definitely see us living here. It was perfect, close to Kieran and Gina's and close to the shop.

"Definitely." She agreed. "I'll call Tim and tell him. You can finish texting Katie now."

I glared at her about to ask why she would just assume I was texting Katie but thought better of it. My sister is incredibly perceptive and can read me like a book, so I just finished typing the message to Katie. I've been spending a lot of time with her since the wedding. She's great; so much fun to be around and she's not afraid to say what she thinks. Sadie's been making jokes about how men fall for women who are just like their mothers. I ignore her. Although I suppose I can see what she means a wee bit. But when we're alone together it's like Katie is this different person. She's sweeter and not half as brash. I like seeing this side of her too. I like both sides of her. We're only seeing each other casually though. Taking it slow. Her age does make me worry; I'm so much older than she is. Emily assures me that Katie typically dates older men and as long as I'm nice to her sister then there shouldn't be a problem. Even so I don't want to force things.

"Done." Sadie said triumphantly when she hung up the phone. "We have to bring the deposit to the office and sign a few things and it'll still be a week or so before we can move in but it looks like this flat is ours."

"Excellent!" I grinned and picked her up in a hug, spinning her round.

We hurried home to tell Naomi and Emily and then called mum. She was thrilled and began planning a trip as soon as possible. I sat back and smiled, watching my sister animatedly talking to Naomi and Emily about the apartment. She quickly pulled out her phone to call Effy. She was so relaxed and happy. This was definitely a good move for us.

-

**Emily.**

At first I was a little annoyed that Naomi and I wouldn't be enjoying 2 weeks of private, naked bliss while Kieran and Gina were on honeymoon. It was hard not to be; we'd sort of been planning this since they announced the date for the wedding. It was hard to stay angry though. Naomi is revelling in having this new found family and her new step cousins were so easy to get along with. And Aiden is possibly the cutest little kid I've ever met. Naomi and I are babysitting for Sadie while she and Dermy are apartment hunting.

"Emily!" The two year old squealed excitedly when Naomi answered the door.

"Hi." I greeted her with a kiss.

"And hi." I greeted Naomi with a kiss and a giggle.

"Hey." She grinned back. We moved inside the house. Naomi had been alone with Aiden for 10 minutes before I arrived and she was perfectly calm. I laughed when I remembered the first time Sadie had left Naomi alone with Aiden and I'd gotten a panicked phone call from her.

"What are we watching?" I asked sitting down on the couch beside Naomi.

"Sleepin Beauty!" Aiden informed me in a thick Northern Irish accent. She climbed up on Naomi's lap and became engrossed in the film. She barely moved for about half an hour. I watched Naomi cuddle the child lovingly. It was the most adorable sight I'd ever seen. Both of them were so cute. For someone who had never been around children before, Naomi had taken to it quite well. I thought about how this could be our life in a few years time. We'd never talked about things like that. I didn't know if she wanted kids. I didn't think I wanted them until recently, until I imagined this as my future with Naomi. I knew it was silly and I shouldn't but I got a little excited thinking about it.

"What?" Naomi asked when she caught me looking at her.

"Nothing." I shrugged and smiled at her. She looked at me like I was crazy for a minute then returned her attention to Sleeping Beauty. Sometimes she was a bigger kid than Aiden.

"Guess what?" Dermot said excitedly when the pair returned.

"Uncy Dermy!" Aiden screamed and jumped off Naomi's knee.

"What?" Naomi asked him expectantly.

"We finally found an apartment to suit Fussy Magee over here." He gestured to his sister who had just walked through the door.

"Really?" Naomi and I asked at the same time.

"I'm not fussy!" She argued and glared at her brother. "But yes we found a place."

"That's great!" I hugged Sadie.

"We'll be out of your hair before long." She joked.

"You're not in our hair." Naomi rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry." She sighed. "I'll still need babysitters in the new house."

We laughed. If things worked the way I wanted them to with Naomi this would be my family. These would be the people in our day to day lives. I love my own family but I just loved the way this family interacted.

Later that evening after a celebratory drink Naomi and I lay curled up in her bed watching a DVD. It was so comfortable, so second nature that I couldn't imagine a time when things wouldn't be like this between us.

"Do you ever think about the future Naoms?" I asked curiously. She looked at me thoughtfully for a second.

"Not really." She shrugged, and then sensed that wasn't the answer I was looking for. "I mean I can't imagine my future without you but other than that I haven't given it much thought."

"Why not?" I couldn't stop myself from asking.

"Because I don't want to waste this great time now worrying about the future." She said simply.

"Yeah but do you think about getting married or having kids or stuff?" I sat up and looked at her. She looked like she had been expecting this.

"I never used to. I thought I never wanted any of that. Definitely not kids." She shook her head. My heart sank a little. I couldn't believe that someone who was clearly so perfect for me didn't want the same things I did. "But then I met you." She continued.

"And I started thinking maybe I wouldn't mind having all those things in the future...with you." She smiled. "In the distant future." She tagged on as an afterthought. I smiled and pressed my lips to hers.

"Of course." I agreed. There was so much for us to do before we started thinking about things as serious as that. I settled back into her arms content with my little vision of our future.

-

**Sadie.**

Lying here on the Stonem couch with Effy I can't imagine why I ever had any reservations about moving to Bristol. Of course, I miss my friends, my family, my job, hell I even miss my bat shit crazy mother but this move has been so effortless that it's hard not to think that it was meant to be. Dermy's offer on the shop was accepted and we just found a flat. Thank God! It's not that I don't love Kieran and Gina. They've been nothing but great since they came back from their honeymoon, it's just...it gets a bit crowded. I'm sure Naomi would like to have her room back soon. I know I'm looking forward to some alone time with Effy.

"The estate agent called." I grinned at Effy, running my fingertips up and down the soft, white skin of her arms.

"Yeah?" She asked half interested.

"Don't you want to know he said?" I pressed with a smirk.

"Go on then, what did they say?" She rolled her eyes.

"We get the keys to the apartment next week." I told her excitedly. Suddenly she was very interested.

"Really?" She asked wide eyed. I nodded. It all seemed so real now, more real than it could seem when we were crashing with Kieran and Gina. "That's great."

She threw her arms around me and I was surrounded by the scent of her shampoo. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment.

"I know! No more sharing a room with Naomi. No more constantly being surrounded by people. We might actually get 5 minutes peace...well after Aiden goes to bed." I joked.

"Time alone will definitely be good." She grinned devilishly and licked her lips. It was that same devilish smile that I fell for just over a month ago now. And it has to be said after a month of dating and keeping it strictly T rated frustrations were certainly reaching breaking point. Sometimes the slightest touch from her would send me into frenzy; I wanted her that badly.

"Alone." I smirked back before pressing my lips to hers, sliding my tongue past them for a frustrated, passionate kiss.

"There's just one little thing that has to be done before we move in though." I said when we eventually broke apart gasping for air.

"What's that?" She asked as though whatever it was couldn't possibly matter.

"You have to make good on a promise you made to Anne Marie at the wedding." I smiled. Her brow furrowed in confusion so I explained further. "You promised you'd come with me and Dermy the next time we were going to visit her."

Realisation drew across her face and she chuckled slightly. "That promise."

"Yeah well, we have to go home to get...all of our stuff and she's sort of expecting you. It's only for a few days." I smiled hopefully. I really didn't fancy having to tell my mother she wouldn't be coming with us.

"When do we leave?" She asked shaking her head. I launched myself at her to kiss her again.

"Wednesday." That was only 4 days away. I hoped it gave her enough time.

"I'll have to get a ticket then won't I?"

"There might, sort of, be one booked in your name already." I informed her sheepishly. She gave me a look. "Not my doing. That was strictly Anne Marie. I would never be so presumptuous."

"I never really had a choice, did I?" She giggled.

"Probably not." I admitted. I'm fairly certain Anne Marie would fly over and drag her back kicking and screaming if she had to. "Will your mum be alright with it?"

"Yeah." Effy nodded. She seemed to find the notion that she might have to ask Anthea for permission amusing. "There is one thing though."

"What's that?" I asked, amused at how she was repeating my own words back to me.

"Well she really wants to meet Aiden." Effy explained.

"Oh." I half gasped. I knew my girlfriend's mother would have to meet my daughter eventually but I had no idea Anthea would want it to happen so soon. I internally berated myself for being so stupid.

"Of course." I began to babble. "I can't believe I haven't thought to bring her round sooner. I guess I just sort of thought your mum might need a bit of time to get used to you being with a girl before you know meeting the girl's baby and all that."

"It's alright." Effy cut me off. "She's fine with it. She's actually excited to meet Aiden. She thinks you're an excellent influence on me. You know she loves you to pieces."

"Really?"

"She doesn't just give out hugs for nothing you know." Effy joked. "I wouldn't have even mentioned it only I'm fed up with her asking me."

"Tell you what..." I checked the time. "I'll call Emily and get her to bring Aiden round, your mum can meet her when she gets home from work."

"Great." Effy smiled. I called Emily and made her promise to have Aiden looking presentable when she brought her round. Or at least clean. I smiled when I hung up and settled back down beside Effy. This was a big moment for her. For both of us.

"They'll be here in 10 minutes." I informed her and she gave me that grin again.

"So we have 10 minutes to kill." I nodded and the next thing I knew two deliciously soft lips were pressed hard against mine and her body was on top of mine. It suddenly became difficult to think of anything. I definitely love...Bristol.

-

**Katie.**

My text alert went off for possibly the 6th time in the last hour and I smiled. I opened the message feeling both excited and interested. I actually was interested in what he had to say. And I wasn't annoyed at the prompt replies or random messages received at strange times. Every time my phone rang and it was him I smiled. Emily said it made her feel sick but I just reminded her of how she was when she first got with Naomi and she promptly shut the fuck up. She is happy for me though. I actually really like Dermy. He's a really nice guy. He's not like anyone I ever dated before. He's kind and funny and he actually cares about what I have to say. I can be myself around him and he actually seems to like the real me. After 3 sort of dates he hasn't tried to shag me or asked me to send him a picture of my tits. Proper gentleman, he is. It's kind of just a casual thing right now but him and Sadie have just got their own place so I'm hoping it'll turn into something more soon.

"What has you so happy?" Mum asked when she walked into the living room while I was replying.

"Nothing." I said defensively.

"Doesn't look like nothing." She pressed with a huge smile on her face. "Looks like a boy."

I just stared at her. Dermy might be a nice guy and everything but he is like 6 years older than me and you know my dad might try to kill him. Not that he would be able to cause Derm's really buff and that. Actually maybe he and Dad would get along. But it was still too soon to be thinking of introducing him to my parents. I don't want to scare him off or anything.

"Well I'm glad to see you're happy." She said when she realised I wasn't going to give anything away. "You deserve it love."

"What was all that about?" Emily asked walking into the room as Mum walked out.

"Nothing." I shrugged and read the reply I had just received. Emily rolled he eyes.

"That Dermot?" She asked.

"So what if it is?" I spat at her defensively.

"Nothing." She held her hands up in surrender. "You two are cute together. He really likes you."

"Really?" The news made me happier than it should have.

"Why wouldn't he?" She smiled warmly at me. Sometimes I forgot how great it is to have Ems as my sister. I shouldn't have given her so much shit about Naomi but that was in the past now and we were pretty much back to the way things used to be. Well the way things used to be when they were good.

"You might be a shallow, small minded bitch at times but you a lovely person at heart." She teased.

"Oi!" I glared at her but the smile on my face betrayed me. Yeah we were definitely back to the way things used to be.

-

**Effy.**

Just over a month ago I met someone and I fell for them. And I allowed them to get close to me, I allowed them into my life and for once they didn't run away or fuck me over. At least not yet anyway. But with Sadie I'm not waiting for that to happen anytime soon. With Sadie I feel safe. She makes me feel like I'm worth something, like I'm special. Her whole family make me feel that way actually. Dermy stuck up for me at the wedding when Freddie was giving me shit and I get the feeling he'd stand up to just about anyone for someone he loved. He's a great guy, funny too. Sadie's daughter Aiden is like no child I've ever met before. For one thing I love the little girl to pieces. She's hilarious and cute as a button. She reminds me so much of Sadie it's unreal. Anne Marie is like no one I've ever met before either. She's so loving and open and frank. She goes out of her way to make me feel like part of the family. So far out of the way actually that she flew me over to Ireland to meet the rest of her family and friends.

To say I was shit scared would be an understatement. I guess this proves how much I really have changed in the past few months. The old Effy would never have flown to Ireland for a girl she'd only known for a month. Or any girl at all for that matter. And yet the new Effy was standing here on the doorstep holding her girlfriend's hand waiting for the door to be opened for them feeling completely carefree.

"Come in!" Anne Marie cooed when she opened the door, practically pulling her son into the house. She gave each of us a rib crushing hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Welcome!" She told me with a huge smile on her face that was damned infectious.

"Hi." I greeted her sheepishly. I didn't know if I would ever get used to how affectionate this woman was. She fussed over Aiden for a while giving me a much needed break. I felt Sadie squeeze my hand reassuringly and I knew I could do this. Sadie showed me to her room and we left our cases there. It was nice; blue/green and brown it felt peaceful.

"You alright?" She asked as we were hunting out clothes to change into after the flight.

"Yeah." I nodded trying hard to convince her this was the truth. She crossed the room to pull me into her arms and softly kissed my forehead.

"Don't worry so much." I told her. "Anne Marie already loves you."

"You don't have time for that!" Anne Marie voice sounded in the doorway. I jumped in Sadie's arms but she wouldn't let me go. "You need to get ready, we're going to the club."

"The club?" Sadie asked suspiciously. I had no idea what the hell the club was or what it meant.

"Yes." Anne Marie nodded and tried to slip away.

"Mum what have you done?" She shouted after her in an accusing tone.

"Nothing." Anne Marie said but didn't sound a bit convincing. "It's nothing." She repeated as she walked away.

"Now do you see where Dermy gets his spectacular lying capabilities?" She laughed slightly. I chuckled too.

"So she has something planned then?" I asked feeling uneasy.

"Probably." She shrugged and smiled at me. That smile that made me believe everything in the world was alright. "Nothing worth worrying about though. I promise I'll keep you safe from her."

And I believed her. It was easy. Something about Sadie just made me sure she wouldn't break my heart and that made it so much easier to open up to her.

Just over a month ago I met and fell for a girl. It changed my life completely and now...I think I've fallen in love with her.


End file.
